diff --git a/src/Attr.cc b/src/Attr.cc
index 5a83d0501b..472fbdffe2 100644
--- a/src/Attr.cc
+++ b/src/Attr.cc
@@ -57,10 +57,11 @@ void Attr::AddTag(ODesc* d) const
 		d->Add(attr_name(Tag()));
 	}
 
-Attributes::Attributes(attr_list* a, BroType* t)
+Attributes::Attributes(attr_list* a, BroType* t, bool arg_in_record)
 	{
 	attrs = new attr_list(a->length());
 	type = t->Ref();
+	in_record = arg_in_record;
 
 	SetLocationInfo(&start_location, &end_location);
 
@@ -199,7 +200,7 @@ void Attributes::CheckAttr(Attr* a)
 		{
 		BroType* atype = a->AttrExpr()->Type();
 
-		if ( type->Tag() != TYPE_TABLE || type->IsSet() )
+		if ( type->Tag() != TYPE_TABLE || (type->IsSet() && ! in_record) )
 			{
 			if ( ! same_type(atype, type) )
 				a->AttrExpr()->Error("&default value has inconsistent type", type);
@@ -208,18 +209,30 @@ void Attributes::CheckAttr(Attr* a)
 
 		TableType* tt = type->AsTableType();
 
-		if ( ! same_type(atype, tt->YieldType()) )
+		if ( ! in_record )
 			{
-			// It can still be a default function.
-			if ( atype->Tag() == TYPE_FUNC )
+			// &default applies to the type itself.
+			if ( ! same_type(atype, tt->YieldType()) )
 				{
-				FuncType* f = atype->AsFuncType();
-				if ( ! f->CheckArgs(tt->IndexTypes()) ||
-				     ! same_type(f->YieldType(), tt->YieldType()) )
-					Error("&default function type clash");
+				// It can still be a default function.
+				if ( atype->Tag() == TYPE_FUNC )
+					{
+					FuncType* f = atype->AsFuncType();
+					if ( ! f->CheckArgs(tt->IndexTypes()) ||
+						! same_type(f->YieldType(), tt->YieldType()) )
+						Error("&default function type clash");
+					}
+				else
+					Error("&default value has inconsistent type");
 				}
-			else
-				Error("&default value has inconsistent type");
+			}
+		else
+			{
+			// &default applies to record field.
+			if ( ! same_type(atype, type) &&
+			     ! (atype->Tag() == TYPE_TABLE && atype->AsTableType()->IsUnspecifiedTable()) )
+			    Error("&default value has inconsistent type");
+			break;
 			}
 		}
 		break;
diff --git a/src/Attr.h b/src/Attr.h
index 73fb101841..4191ffa911 100644
--- a/src/Attr.h
+++ b/src/Attr.h
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ protected:
 // Manages a collection of attributes.
 class Attributes : public BroObj {
 public:
-	Attributes(attr_list* a, BroType* t);
+	Attributes(attr_list* a, BroType* t, bool in_record);
 	~Attributes();
 
 	void AddAttr(Attr* a);
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ protected:
 
 	BroType* type;
 	attr_list* attrs;
+	bool in_record;
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/Expr.cc b/src/Expr.cc
index dbfca7c9cb..1c26039a6d 100644
--- a/src/Expr.cc
+++ b/src/Expr.cc
@@ -3400,7 +3400,7 @@ TableConstructorExpr::TableConstructorExpr(ListExpr* constructor_list,
 			SetError("values in table(...) constructor do not specify a table");
 		}
 
-	attrs = arg_attrs ? new Attributes(arg_attrs, type) : 0;
+	attrs = arg_attrs ? new Attributes(arg_attrs, type, false) : 0;
 	}
 
 Val* TableConstructorExpr::Eval(Frame* f) const
@@ -3466,7 +3466,7 @@ SetConstructorExpr::SetConstructorExpr(ListExpr* constructor_list,
 	else if ( type->Tag() != TYPE_TABLE || ! type->AsTableType()->IsSet() )
 		SetError("values in set(...) constructor do not specify a set");
 
-	attrs = arg_attrs ? new Attributes(arg_attrs, type) : 0;
+	attrs = arg_attrs ? new Attributes(arg_attrs, type, false) : 0;
 	}
 
 Val* SetConstructorExpr::Eval(Frame* f) const
diff --git a/src/StateAccess.cc b/src/StateAccess.cc
index 17f702f07e..74481a155a 100644
--- a/src/StateAccess.cc
+++ b/src/StateAccess.cc
@@ -935,7 +935,7 @@ void NotifierRegistry::Register(ID* id, NotifierRegistry::Notifier* notifier)
 		attr_list* a = new attr_list;
 		Attr* attr = new Attr(ATTR_TRACKED);
 		a->append(attr);
-		id->SetAttrs(new Attributes(a, id->Type()));
+		id->SetAttrs(new Attributes(a, id->Type(), false));
 		Unref(attr);
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/Type.cc b/src/Type.cc
index ce3bbc52af..81994a19a8 100644
--- a/src/Type.cc
+++ b/src/Type.cc
@@ -680,10 +680,10 @@ bool FuncType::DoUnserialize(UnserialInfo* info)
 	return UNSERIALIZE(&is_event);
 	}
 
-TypeDecl::TypeDecl(BroType* t, const char* i, attr_list* arg_attrs)
+TypeDecl::TypeDecl(BroType* t, const char* i, attr_list* arg_attrs, bool in_record)
 	{
 	type = t;
-	attrs = arg_attrs ? new Attributes(arg_attrs, t) : 0;
+	attrs = arg_attrs ? new Attributes(arg_attrs, t, in_record) : 0;
 	id = i;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/Type.h b/src/Type.h
index fe4f7a5eb5..bf037e2ed6 100644
--- a/src/Type.h
+++ b/src/Type.h
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ protected:
 
 class TypeDecl {
 public:
-	TypeDecl(BroType* t, const char* i, attr_list* attrs = 0);
+	TypeDecl(BroType* t, const char* i, attr_list* attrs = 0, bool in_record = false);
 	~TypeDecl();
 
 	const Attr* FindAttr(attr_tag a) const
diff --git a/src/Var.cc b/src/Var.cc
index 04ef78c14c..0c2be25711 100644
--- a/src/Var.cc
+++ b/src/Var.cc
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ static void make_var(ID* id, BroType* t, init_class c, Expr* init,
 	id->SetType(t);
 
 	if ( attr )
-		id->AddAttrs(new Attributes(attr, t));
+		id->AddAttrs(new Attributes(attr, t, false));
 
 	if ( id->FindAttr(ATTR_PERSISTENT) || id->FindAttr(ATTR_SYNCHRONIZED) )
 		{
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ void add_type(ID* id, BroType* t, attr_list* attr, int /* is_event */)
 	id->MakeType();
 
 	if ( attr )
-		id->SetAttrs(new Attributes(attr, t));
+		id->SetAttrs(new Attributes(attr, t, false));
 	}
 
 void begin_func(ID* id, const char* module_name, function_flavor flavor,
diff --git a/src/parse.y b/src/parse.y
index a982935b2b..370d1e0571 100644
--- a/src/parse.y
+++ b/src/parse.y
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ extern Expr* g_curr_debug_expr;
 
 Expr* bro_this = 0;
 int in_init = 0;
+int in_record = 0;
 bool in_debug = false;
 bool resolving_global_ID = false;
 
@@ -704,10 +705,10 @@ type:
 				$$ = new SetType($3, 0);
 				}
 
-	|	TOK_RECORD '{' type_decl_list '}'
+	|	TOK_RECORD '{' { ++in_record; } type_decl_list { --in_record; } '}'
 				{
-				set_location(@1, @4);
-				$$ = new RecordType($3);
+				set_location(@1, @5);
+				$$ = new RecordType($4);
 				}
 
 	|	TOK_UNION '{' type_list '}'
@@ -805,7 +806,7 @@ type_decl:
 		TOK_ID ':' type opt_attr ';'
 			{
 			set_location(@1, @5);
-			$$ = new TypeDecl($3, $1, $4);
+			$$ = new TypeDecl($3, $1, $4, (in_record > 0));
 			}
 	;
 
diff --git a/testing/btest/Baseline/language.rec-table-default/output b/testing/btest/Baseline/language.rec-table-default/output
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a1531d06ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/btest/Baseline/language.rec-table-default/output
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+{
+[foo] = T
+}
+{
+
+}
+{
+A,
+B,
+C
+}
+{
+
+}
diff --git a/testing/btest/language/rec-table-default.bro b/testing/btest/language/rec-table-default.bro
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1473933e6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/btest/language/rec-table-default.bro
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+
+# @TEST-EXEC: bro %INPUT >output 2>&1
+# @TEST-EXEC: btest-diff output
+
+type X: record {
+     a: table[string] of bool &default=table( ["foo"] = T );
+     b: table[string] of bool &default=table();
+     c: set[string] &default=set("A", "B", "C");
+     d: set[string] &default=set();
+};
+
+global x: X;
+global y: table[string] of bool &default=T;
+
+print x$a;
+print x$b;
+print x$c;
+print x$d;
+