Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight, known to the Anglo-Saxons as Wiht and to the Romans as Vectis or Vecta, is an island off the southern coast of Britain. It is separated from Britain by the Solent, and from continental Europe by the Britannic Sea.

Names

• Anglo-Saxon: Wiht, Wihtland
• Latin: Vectis, Vecta
• Welsh: Guith, Gueid

History

The Isle of Wight was an important center of the ancient tin trade. For centuries, tin was brought to the island from the mines of mainland Britain, and from there was shipped to ports in Iberia and Gaul, and on to the eastern Mediterranean, where it would be smelted into bronze.

The Belgae held the isle from the 2nd century BC. It was captured by Roman legate Vespasian on behalf of Claudius in AD 43.

The Anglo-Saxons arrived in the early 5th century; the majority of settlers on Wight identified with the Jutes and came to be known as the Wihtwara.