diff --git a/jetty-servlet/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandler.java b/jetty-servlet/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandler.java
index ed5be4eba44..54312406042 100644
--- a/jetty-servlet/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandler.java
+++ b/jetty-servlet/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandler.java
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@ public class ServletHandler extends ScopedHandler
     private boolean _startWithUnavailable=false;
     private boolean _ensureDefaultServlet=true;
     private IdentityService _identityService;
+    private boolean _allowDuplicateMappings=false;
 
     private ServletHolder[] _servlets=new ServletHolder[0];
     private ServletMapping[] _servletMappings;
@@ -686,6 +687,22 @@ public class ServletHandler extends ScopedHandler
         _startWithUnavailable=start;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @return the allowDuplicateMappings
+     */
+    public boolean isAllowDuplicateMappings()
+    {
+        return _allowDuplicateMappings;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param allowDuplicateMappings the allowDuplicateMappings to set
+     */
+    public void setAllowDuplicateMappings(boolean allowDuplicateMappings)
+    {
+        _allowDuplicateMappings = allowDuplicateMappings;
+    }
+
     /* ------------------------------------------------------------ */
     /**
      * @return True if this handler will start with unavailable servlets
@@ -1312,7 +1329,7 @@ public class ServletHandler extends ScopedHandler
             Map<String,ServletMapping> servletPathMappings = new HashMap<>();
 
             //create a map of paths to set of ServletMappings that define that mapping
-            HashMap<String, Set<ServletMapping>> sms = new HashMap<>();
+            HashMap<String, List<ServletMapping>> sms = new HashMap<>();
             for (ServletMapping servletMapping : _servletMappings)
             {
                 String[] pathSpecs = servletMapping.getPathSpecs();
@@ -1320,10 +1337,10 @@ public class ServletHandler extends ScopedHandler
                 {
                     for (String pathSpec : pathSpecs)
                     {
-                        Set<ServletMapping> mappings = sms.get(pathSpec);
+                        List<ServletMapping> mappings = sms.get(pathSpec);
                         if (mappings == null)
                         {
-                            mappings = new HashSet<>();
+                            mappings = new ArrayList<>();
                             sms.put(pathSpec, mappings);
                         }
                         mappings.add(servletMapping);
@@ -1336,7 +1353,7 @@ public class ServletHandler extends ScopedHandler
             {
                 //for each path, look at the mappings where it is referenced
                 //if a mapping is for a servlet that is not enabled, skip it
-                Set<ServletMapping> mappings = sms.get(pathSpec);
+                List<ServletMapping> mappings = sms.get(pathSpec);
 
                 ServletMapping finalMapping = null;
                 for (ServletMapping mapping : mappings)
@@ -1354,9 +1371,15 @@ public class ServletHandler extends ScopedHandler
                         finalMapping = mapping;
                     else
                     {
-                        //already have a candidate - only accept another one if the candidate is a default
+                        //already have a candidate - only accept another one 
+                        //if the candidate is a default, or we're allowing duplicate mappings
                         if (finalMapping.isDefault())
                             finalMapping = mapping;
+                        else if (isAllowDuplicateMappings())
+                        {
+                            LOG.warn("Multiple servlets map to path: "+pathSpec+": "+finalMapping.getServletName()+","+mapping.getServletName());
+                            finalMapping = mapping;
+                        }
                         else
                         {
                             //existing candidate isn't a default, if the one we're looking at isn't a default either, then its an error
diff --git a/jetty-servlet/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandlerTest.java b/jetty-servlet/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandlerTest.java
index 131cd96d371..989455bea5b 100644
--- a/jetty-servlet/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandlerTest.java
+++ b/jetty-servlet/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/servlet/ServletHandlerTest.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import java.util.EnumSet;
 
 import javax.servlet.DispatcherType;
 
+import org.eclipse.jetty.http.pathmap.MappedResource;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
@@ -47,6 +48,15 @@ public class ServletHandlerTest
     FilterMapping fm5 = new FilterMapping();
     
     
+    ServletHolder sh1 = new ServletHolder(new Source (Source.Origin.DESCRIPTOR, "foo.xml"));
+    ServletMapping sm1 = new ServletMapping();
+    
+    ServletHolder sh2 = new ServletHolder(new Source (Source.Origin.DESCRIPTOR, "foo.xml"));
+    ServletMapping sm2 = new ServletMapping();
+    
+    ServletHolder sh3 = new ServletHolder(new Source (Source.Origin.DESCRIPTOR, "foo.xml"));
+    ServletMapping sm3 = new ServletMapping();
+    
 
     @Before
     public void initMappings()
@@ -70,6 +80,111 @@ public class ServletHandlerTest
         fh5.setName("fh5");
         fm5.setPathSpec("/*");
         fm5.setFilterHolder(fh5);
+        
+        sh1.setName("s1");
+        sm1.setDefault(false);
+        sm1.setPathSpec("/foo/*");
+        sm1.setServletName("s1");
+        
+        sh2.setName("s2");
+        sm2.setDefault(false);
+        sm2.setPathSpec("/foo/*");
+        sm2.setServletName("s2");
+        
+        sh3.setName("s3");
+        sm3.setDefault(true);
+        sm3.setPathSpec("/foo/*");
+        sm3.setServletName("s3");
+        
+        
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testDuplicateMappingsForbidden() throws Exception
+    {
+        ServletHandler handler = new ServletHandler();
+        handler.setAllowDuplicateMappings(false);
+        handler.addServlet(sh1);
+        handler.addServlet(sh2);
+        handler.updateNameMappings();
+        
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm1);
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm2);
+
+        try
+        {
+            handler.updateMappings();
+        }
+        catch (IllegalStateException e)
+        {
+            //expected error
+        }
+    }
+
+
+    @Test
+    public void testDuplicateMappingsWithDefaults() throws Exception
+    {
+        ServletHandler handler = new ServletHandler();
+        handler.setAllowDuplicateMappings(false);
+        handler.addServlet(sh1);
+        handler.addServlet(sh3);
+        handler.updateNameMappings();
+
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm3);
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm1);
+       
+
+        handler.updateMappings();
+
+        MappedResource<ServletHolder> entry=handler.getHolderEntry("/foo/*");
+        assertNotNull(entry);
+        assertEquals("s1", entry.getResource().getName());
+    }
+    
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testDuplicateMappingsSameServlet() throws Exception
+    {
+        ServletHolder sh4 = new ServletHolder();
+       
+        sh4.setName("s1");
+        
+        ServletMapping sm4 = new ServletMapping();
+        sm4.setPathSpec("/foo/*");
+        sm4.setServletName("s1");
+        
+        ServletHandler handler = new ServletHandler();
+        handler.setAllowDuplicateMappings(true);
+        handler.addServlet(sh1);
+        handler.addServlet(sh4);
+        handler.updateNameMappings();
+
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm1);
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm4);
+       
+
+        handler.updateMappings();
+    }
+
+
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testDuplicateMappingsAllowed() throws Exception
+    {
+        ServletHandler handler = new ServletHandler();
+        handler.setAllowDuplicateMappings(true);
+        handler.addServlet(sh1);
+        handler.addServlet(sh2);
+        handler.updateNameMappings();
+        
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm1);
+        handler.addServletMapping(sm2);
+        handler.updateMappings();
+        
+       MappedResource<ServletHolder> entry=handler.getHolderEntry("/foo/*");
+       assertNotNull(entry);
+       assertEquals("s2", entry.getResource().getName());
     }
 
     @Test