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 believed to refer to Vowlan. The coastline of Lezayre is quite short, and this is probably the only location suitable for the Night Watch. Bersu's interpretation as a raiding party's defence is based on rather outdated views of Viking activity in the Irish Sea from the late 8th century onwards, and it would seem more appropriate to see the site as performing a function associated with policing the coastline and perhaps also overseeing beach markets.