Western Design
The Western Design refers to Oliver Cromwell's expedition to the Caribbean which left England at the end of 1654 as part of the Anglo-Spanish War. Preparations for the expedition were organised by a committee headed by Cromwell's brother-in-law, John Desborough, established in August 1654.Origins
Cromwell presented a proposal for an assault on the Spanish in the Americas to the Council of State in April 1654. The plan was dismissed as grandiose, unfeasible and very costly by John Lambert. However Cromwell insisted that the plan would not only realise God's will, but also a source of wealth and glory for England.
