The Castle Rushen Papers contain a document dated 1627 which records the locations of watch stations around the Isle of Man from which a coastal look-out was kept. The site of the night watch-station for the parish of Lezayre was at 'Hangman's Hill', which is beleived to refer to Vowlan. The name implies that the site was used as a place of execution, much like Hango Hill (record 0031) and Knock Rushen (record 0079) in Malew.