Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a fool, a dullard ; also attrib.

1638		R. Dover Annalia Duvbrensia (1877) 17: Whay Clod-pates, Thenot, are our British swaines! How lubber-like they loll upon the Plaines.
1640		Wizard n.p.: Wouldst thou ever thought that this lady should have writ to me love letters, Me, whome she cald clowne, clotpate, loggerhead? [N].
1652		The excise-mens lamentation 6: [W]hen every Clodpate shal sit in Judgment, whether a Divine deserve his Sunday dinner?
1673		T. Shadwell Epsom Wells I i: But Clodpate is a Clownish-Country Fool.
1680		The Answer to the appeal expounded notes: [Which word] I think supposes the King’s Murder, and may be so understood by any but our Clodpate Author.
1684		E. Ravenscroft Dame Dobson 48: [S]uch an Owl as a Country Clodpate was; a fine Bird for her to pluck.
1690		D’Urfey Collin’s Walk canto 1 11: Full of himself appear’d our Major [...] And caus’d poor Clod pates wanting Reason, To be whipp’d for’t and sent to Prison.
1690		D’Urfey New Poems 14: Their Clodpate Off-spring scarce are bred to Read. / Hence ’tis that by the curse of vacant Brains, / So many whimsies in the Nation raigns.
1709		N. Ward Compleat and Humorous Account of Remarkable Clubs (1756) 20: Many a Country Clod-pate, who has been called Alderman in his Apprenticeship.
1713		W. King York Spy 10: In bolted two Brawny Clodpates.
1732		Newcastle Courant 30 Sept. 2/2: Then came the Sermon long and dull, / Adapted right to Clodpate’s skull.
1772		Newcastle Courant 27 June 4/4: A pint of ale to Roger Clodpate for beaking the head of a ministerial tinker.
1782		‘A Country Assizes’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 406: The clod-pate squire, who scarce knows how to read.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1793		J. O’Keeffe London Hermit (1794) 30: This clodpate’s hat, wig and frock, may do it.
1803		Sporting Mag. July XXII 190: A Provincial Play Bill [...] Cuddy Clodpate the Clown.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1819		York Herald 18 Sept. 4/3: How now, Master Clodpate! whence it you stare so —.
1822		W. Scott Peveril of the Peak IV 64: Clodpate and muddy spirit that thou art, thou hast forgotten the most hopeful scheme of all.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1834		Royal Cornwall Gaz. 10 Oct. 2/2: He meets a clodpate at the farmyard.
1849		Hereford Jrnl 11 Apr. 4/2: As two would-be wits were pushing along in their gig to Brighton on the first of April they overtook a clodepate tramping along and [...] determined to ‘fool’ him.
1894		Houston Dly Post (TX) 12 Mar. 4/6: Will you beaten by a clodpate?
1899		Cornishman 27 July 6/2: Ben, clodpate, cod’s-head, corky-brained [...] are all synonyous, in the language of the canting crew, for fool.
1873		Bradford Obs. 24 Dec. 7/6: His revenge was so great that he is his Justice Clodpate.