General William Belford (1712 – 1 July 1780) was a British artillery officer who began his career in 1726. He was part of the first generation of artillery officers selected and promoted on merit, rather than connections. From 1743 to 1748, he served under the Duke of Cumberland in Flanders and Britain during the Jacobite rising of 1745. In 1751, he became Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, then of the First Battalion when this was expanded in 1757. He was Commandant of the Royal Arsenal from 1758 until his death in July 1780.