Lieutenant-General William Skinner (1700 – 25 December 1780) was Chief Royal Engineer of Great Britain from 1757 until his death in 1780.

Skinner was born in St. Kitts in 1700; his parents Thomas and Elizabeth died when he was young and he was adopted by his aunt, Mrs Lambert.

[1] Skinner was to refer to the fort as his "monument" and would manage every detail which John Adam oversaw as the main contractor.

These changes came under the notice and criticism of Lord George Sackville and Skinner wrote a report describing their inefficiency and arbitrariness.

Despite spending huge sums his personal wealth at his death was a single house and a £500 annuity.