Rumours that the circular mound contains buried treasure also account for its current shape: it has been dug up on numerous occasions by both treasure hunters and over-enthusiastic archaeologists.

Despite all the digging, no major finds have ever been found here beyond a large wooden stake wrapped in willow twigs that is thought to have either been an ancient 'moot stake', or perhaps the foundations of the beacon that once stood here.

The importance of this spot is emphasised by legends concerning an army of Danes who made camp here in 1006. According to the story they chose this spot because a prophecy had told them that if they managed to reach this high spot they would never leave the island again. They took this to mean that they would remain conquerors of Britain forever.

Of course, the prophecy came true, but not in the way they were expecting. The whole Danish army was slaughtered in battle by the men of Wessex! I wonder if any Danish ghosts still haunt this remote spot?

Another local legend recounted by Mike White is that the devil created the ridge along upon which Scutchamer Knob sits in a single night. With a final flourish, the devil then shook the mud off his colossal spade, and that mid formed the barrow mound known as Scutchamer Knob.

A fun story, and entirely consistent with many other pieces of British folklore that ascribe the creation of unexplained features of the landscape to the devil. See the Devil's Churchyard, the Devil's Quoits and the Devil's Punchbowl to name just three Oxfordshire examples.