Margaret Bryan (philosopher)

Margaret Bryan
Engraving of Bryan and her two daughters Ann Marian (center) and Sarah Maria (right)
Born12 October 1759 (baptism date)
West Ham, Essex, England
Died31 March 1836
Kentish Town, London, England
Burial placeSt Luke’s Church, Chelsea, London, England
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Natural philosopher and educator
Years active1791–1816

Margaret Bryan (c. 1759 – 31 March 1836) was an English natural philosopher and educator and the author of three scientific textbooks. A pioneer of female education, she taught science to women and girls from her schools in Margate and London. The first 'Bryan House' school was in Margate, Kent above the yet-to-be-discovered Margate Caves, and the second was in Blackheath, London. Margaret also later offered private tuition from Cadogan Place in Chelsea. Her first known work was A Compendious System of Astronomy (1797), collecting her lectures on astronomy. She later published Lectures on Natural Philosophy (1806), a textbook on the fundamentals of physics and astronomy, and An Astronomical and Geographical Class Book for the Use of Schools and Private Families, a thin octavo, in 1815.