Brita Ryy (1725–1783) was a Swedish educator and member of the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

. Brita Ryy was the daughter of a vicar and married the wealthy

Snus Snus (, ; ) is a Swedish smokeless tobacco, tobacco product. It is consumed by placing a pouch of powdered tobacco leaves under the lip for nicotine to be absorbed through the Mucous membrane, oral mucosa. Snus, not to be confused with Nicoti ...

-factory owner Petter Swartz (1726–1789) in

Norrköping Norrköping ( , ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Lin ...

, with whom she had eight children. She was described as well educated and as the partner of her spouse in his interest for philanthropy, particularly Christian education influenced by the Moravian Church. In 1772, the couple founded the ''Swartska friskolan'' ('Swarts' Free School') The school was open for both poor girls and boys, did not use the physical punishments normally used in schools, and used a pedagogical method inspired by the Moravian Church, and had a methodical and psychological foundation considered radically progressive and before its time. The school attracted attention for its radical views and became a role model for the Swedish primary school system introduced in 1842. Although the school was founded by the couple jointly, it was managed by Brita Ryy and the methods used were created by her. She also left two manuscripts of Christian education. The school closed in 1940.

References

*Du Rietz, Anita, Kvinnors entreprenörskap: under 400 år, 1. uppl., Dialogos, Stockholm, 2013
Swartz, släkt, urn:sbl:34808, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Lena Milton), hämtad 2016-12-26.
Swedish people of the Moravian Church 18th-century Swedish educators Swedish women educators Gustavian era people Swedish educational theorists Women educational theorists 1725 births 1783 deaths {{Sweden-academic-bio-stub