diff --git a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java
index 40efb17d53c3..a47814c501bf 100644
--- a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java
+++ b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/AbstractHandlerMethodMapping.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 import javax.servlet.ServletException;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactoryUtils;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContextException;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.LinkedMultiValueMap;
@@ -52,10 +53,24 @@
  */
 public abstract class AbstractHandlerMethodMapping<T> extends AbstractHandlerMapping {
 
+	private boolean detectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts = false;
+
 	private final Map<T, HandlerMethod> handlerMethods = new LinkedHashMap<T, HandlerMethod>();
 
 	private final MultiValueMap<String, T> urlMap = new LinkedMultiValueMap<String, T>();
 
+	/**
+	 * Whether to detect handler methods in beans in ancestor ApplicationContexts.
+	 * <p>Default is "false": Only beans in the current ApplicationContext are
+	 * considered, i.e. only in the context that this HandlerMapping itself
+	 * is defined in (typically the current DispatcherServlet's context).
+	 * <p>Switch this flag on to detect handler beans in ancestor contexts
+	 * (typically the Spring root WebApplicationContext) as well.
+	 */
+	public void setDetectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts(boolean detectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts) {
+		this.detectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts = detectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts;
+	}
+	
 	/**
 	 * Return a map with all handler methods and their mappings.
 	 */
@@ -82,7 +97,12 @@ protected void initHandlerMethods() {
 		if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
 			logger.debug("Looking for request mappings in application context: " + getApplicationContext());
 		}
-		for (String beanName : getApplicationContext().getBeanNamesForType(Object.class)) {
+		
+		String[] beanNames = (this.detectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts ?
+				BeanFactoryUtils.beanNamesForTypeIncludingAncestors(getApplicationContext(), Object.class) :
+				getApplicationContext().getBeanNamesForType(Object.class));
+
+		for (String beanName : beanNames) {
 			if (isHandler(getApplicationContext().getType(beanName))){
 				detectHandlerMethods(beanName);
 			}
diff --git a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/HandlerMethodMappingTests.java b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/HandlerMethodMappingTests.java
index 10bdb33ab10a..755eb6a62d0e 100644
--- a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/HandlerMethodMappingTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/handler/HandlerMethodMappingTests.java
@@ -27,9 +27,12 @@
 
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
+import org.springframework.context.support.StaticApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.mock.web.MockHttpServletRequest;
+import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
 import org.springframework.util.AntPathMatcher;
 import org.springframework.util.PathMatcher;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
 import org.springframework.web.method.HandlerMethod;
 import org.springframework.web.util.UrlPathHelper;
 
@@ -88,6 +91,24 @@ public void ambiguousMatch() throws Exception {
 		mapping.getHandlerInternal(new MockHttpServletRequest("GET", "/foo"));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testDetectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts() {
+		StaticApplicationContext cxt = new StaticApplicationContext();
+		cxt.registerSingleton("myHandler", MyHandler.class);
+		
+		AbstractHandlerMethodMapping<String> mapping1 = new MyHandlerMethodMapping();
+		mapping1.setApplicationContext(new StaticApplicationContext(cxt));
+
+		assertEquals(0, mapping1.getHandlerMethods().size());
+
+		AbstractHandlerMethodMapping<String> mapping2 = new MyHandlerMethodMapping();
+		mapping2.setDetectHandlerMethodsInAncestorContexts(true);
+		mapping2.setApplicationContext(new StaticApplicationContext(cxt));
+
+		assertEquals(2, mapping2.getHandlerMethods().size());
+	}
+
+	
 	private static class MyHandlerMethodMapping extends AbstractHandlerMethodMapping<String> {
 
 		private UrlPathHelper pathHelper = new UrlPathHelper();
@@ -123,13 +144,14 @@ protected Set<String> getMappingPathPatterns(String key) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	private static class MyHandler {
+	@Controller
+	static class MyHandler {
 
-		@SuppressWarnings("unused")
+		@RequestMapping
 		public void handlerMethod1() {
 		}
 
-		@SuppressWarnings("unused")
+		@RequestMapping
 		public void handlerMethod2() {
 		}
 	}