History of the Isle of Wight inhabitants of southern Britain at this time may indeed have been Germanic, rather than Celtic, which could re-open the possibility of the island's name having Germanic roots. The Romans occupied southern Britain, including the Isle of Wight, for nearly four hundred years. The Romans built no towns on the island, but it became an agricultural centre, and at least seven Roman villas are known. The Roman villas at Newport and Brading have been excavated and are open to the public. When fully developed around 300 AD, Brading was probably the largest on the Island, being a courtyard villa with impressive
Britain (place name) the Kingdom of England (which then included Wales) with the Kingdom of Scotland, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801, the name of the country was changed to "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland", recognising that Ireland had ceased to be a distinct kingdom and was incorporated into the union. After Irish independence in the early 20th century, the name was changed to "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", which is still the official name. In contemporary usage therefore, "Great Britain", while synonymous with the island of Britain, and capable of being used to refer politically