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
History of the Isle of Wight Britain where he fought thirty battles, subjugated two warlike tribes, and captured more than twenty towns, besides the entire Isle of Vectis"". The form "Vectis" seems reasonably robust but Rivet and Smith were uncertain of its etymology. A gloss on an 1164 manuscript of Nennius equates Old English "wiht" with Latin "divorcium", which has encouraged writers to think that the island sits like a lever (Latin "vectis") between the two arms of the Solent. The word could be Brittonic, from a Celtic root akin to Irish "fecht" "journey" and Welsh "gwaith" "work". A detailed study in 2010 draws attention to