Thomas Agard had been sent to Ireland as part of Henry VIII's retinue which had been detailed to set up a government in Dublin and make amends for the murder of the bishops in 1532. His function was to carry out a survey and particularly to assess the country's mineral resources and the possibility of developing lead mines. The Lord Deputy Grey had described him as "a sour and honest puritan inclined to Protestantism" and disliked him so much that he contrived to see that he got no pay for his services, but St Leger in 1553 managed to get for him a posthumous payment of £150. He died at his Hackney mansion in 1549 but not before he had become, thanks to St Leger, Controller of the Treasury, a member of the Council of Ireland, treasurer of the Irish Mint, and, for four years, Farmer of the Customs for the Ports.