epitome of 'high Methodism', which stressed the Connexion, the national, the international (including foreign missions)." He was satirized in Wesleyan Undertakings – a collection of critical sketches of Methodist leaders published in 1840 – which depicted him as intolerably autocratic, "a monster of greatness". Bunting defended the supremacy of conference, stating: "Methodism hates democracy as it hates sin". As well as detractors, Bunting also had supporters. Urlin (1901) wrote an appraisal: "His figure was hardly impressive, he was of middle size, portly, looking like a mayor. The charm was in the voice, which once heard could not easily be forgotten. It had a ring of authority and decision, though not of harshness, and it was at the same time flexible and persuasive… His fame was based rather on his abilities as a tactician and organiser, in short, he had the qualities of a statesman; and he did for Methodism what Bishop S. Wilberforce did for the Anglican Church." Politically, Bunting was a conservative and Tory. As President of the Conference, he supported the transportation of the Tolpuddle martyrs despite the fact that they were closely linked to Methodism, their leaders being local preachers. He did, however, champion liberal causes such as religious liberty and he supported Catholic Emancipation in 1829. Under Bunting's presidency in 1820 the Resolutions on Pastoral Work or Liverpool Minutes were adopted by the conference in Liverpool. The resolutions encouraged class meetings and catechesis, and set out the working principles by which the Methodist leaders present at the conference sought "to cultivate more fully the spirit of Christian pastors". They were revised by conference in 1885. Methodist researcher Andrew Stobart states that the resolutions were adopted at a time of crisis when the recently established Wesleyan Methodist Connexion was struggling to maintain membership numbers in its early years: the movement had recorded a net loss of 4,688 members during the previous year. Bunting's policies provoked opposition leading to the secession of the Protestant Methodists and Wesleyan Methodist Association, in 1828 and 1838 respectively. In 1849, the Wesleyan Reform movement broke away from the Wesleyan Connexion following the expulsion of James Everett, William Griffith and Samuel Dunn, critics of Bunting's leadership, from the Wesleyan Connexion's Manchester Conference. Numerous alliances with other groups failed and weakened his control. Family He was twice married and had three sons. His eldest son, William Maclardie Bunting (1805–1866), was also a distinguished Wesleyan