diff --git a/tests/data/good_maps/fontset.xml b/tests/data/good_maps/fontset.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4d004c002
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/data/good_maps/fontset.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+<Map>
+
+<FontSet name="book-fonts">
+  <Font face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" />
+  <Font face-name="DejaVu Sans Oblique" />
+  <Font face-name="does not exist" />
+</FontSet>
+
+</Map>
diff --git a/tests/python_tests/test_fontset.py b/tests/python_tests/test_fontset.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e41e64576
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/python_tests/test_fontset.py
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+from nose.tools import *
+from utilities import execution_path
+from copy import deepcopy
+
+import os, mapnik
+
+def setup():
+    # All of the paths used are relative, if we run the tests
+    # from another directory we need to chdir()
+    os.chdir(execution_path('.'))
+
+def test_loading_fontset_from_map():
+    m = mapnik.Map(256,256)
+    mapnik.load_map(m,'../data/good_maps/fontset.xml')
+    fs = m.find_fontset('book-fonts')
+    eq_(len(fs.names),3)
+    eq_(list(fs.names),['DejaVu Sans Book','DejaVu Sans Oblique', 'does not exist'])
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    setup()
+    [eval(run)() for run in dir() if 'test_' in run]
+