diff --git a/CONTRIBUTORS b/CONTRIBUTORS
index 21aaf7e13..aebba5de4 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTORS
+++ b/CONTRIBUTORS
@@ -232,6 +232,7 @@ Ronen Mashal
 Russell Gold
 Sam Ruby
 Scott Carlson
+Scott Ellsworth
 Scott M. Stirling
 Sean Egan
 Sean P. Kane
diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index fa19f869c..48e944af8 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -223,6 +223,9 @@ Other changes:
 * <javac> has a new attribute - includeDestClasses.
   Bugzilla 40776.
 
+* <fileset> has a new attribute - errorOnMissingDir.
+  Bugzilla 11270.
+
 Changes from Ant 1.6.5 to Ant 1.7.0
 ===================================
 
diff --git a/contributors.xml b/contributors.xml
index ad210e2ba..565a50580 100644
--- a/contributors.xml
+++ b/contributors.xml
@@ -923,6 +923,10 @@
     <first>Scott</first>
     <last>Carlson</last>
   </name>
+  <name>
+    <first>Scott</first>
+    <last>Ellsworth</last>
+  </name>
   <name>
     <first>Scott</first>
     <middle>M.</middle>
diff --git a/docs/manual/CoreTypes/fileset.html b/docs/manual/CoreTypes/fileset.html
index 935355fe2..2a3eed383 100644
--- a/docs/manual/CoreTypes/fileset.html
+++ b/docs/manual/CoreTypes/fileset.html
@@ -98,6 +98,15 @@ equivalent to an <code>&lt;and&gt;</code> selector container.</p>
       true. See the note <a href="#symlink">below</a>.</td>
     <td valign="top" align="center">No</td>
   </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">erroronmissingdir</td>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Specify what happens if the base directory does not exist.
+      If true a build error will happen, if false, the fileset
+      will be ignored.
+      true.</td>
+    <td valign="top" align="center">No</td>
+  </tr>
 </table>
 
 <p><a name="symlink"><b>Note</b></a>: All files/directories for which
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java
index 70e4ec65a..1af30d6f1 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java
@@ -251,6 +251,12 @@ public class DirectoryScanner
      */
     protected boolean isCaseSensitive = true;
 
+    /**
+     * Whether a missing base directory is an error.
+     * @since Ant 1.7.1
+     */
+    protected boolean errorOnMissingDir = true;
+ 
     /**
      * Whether or not symbolic links should be followed.
      *
@@ -609,6 +615,17 @@ public class DirectoryScanner
         this.isCaseSensitive = isCaseSensitive;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Sets whether or not a missing base directory is an error
+     *
+     * @param errorOnMissingDir whether or not a missing base directory
+     *                        is an error
+     * @since Ant 1.7.1
+     */
+    public void setErrorOnMissingDir(boolean errorOnMissingDir) {
+        this.errorOnMissingDir = errorOnMissingDir;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Get whether or not a DirectoryScanner follows symbolic links.
      *
@@ -790,8 +807,13 @@ public class DirectoryScanner
                     }
                 } else {
                     if (!basedir.exists()) {
-                        illegal = new IllegalStateException("basedir " + basedir
-                                                            + " does not exist");
+                        if (errorOnMissingDir) {
+                            illegal = new IllegalStateException(
+                                "basedir " + basedir + " does not exist");
+                        } else {
+                            // Nothing to do - basedir does not exist
+                            return;
+                        }
                     }
                     if (!basedir.isDirectory()) {
                         illegal = new IllegalStateException("basedir " + basedir
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java
index e81da1213..3914dfbd6 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractFileSet extends DataType
     private boolean useDefaultExcludes = true;
     private boolean caseSensitive = true;
     private boolean followSymlinks = true;
+    private boolean errorOnMissingDir = true;
 
     /* cached DirectoryScanner instance for our own Project only */
     private DirectoryScanner directoryScanner = null;
@@ -89,6 +90,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractFileSet extends DataType
         this.useDefaultExcludes = fileset.useDefaultExcludes;
         this.caseSensitive = fileset.caseSensitive;
         this.followSymlinks = fileset.followSymlinks;
+        this.errorOnMissingDir = fileset.errorOnMissingDir;
         setProject(fileset.getProject());
     }
 
@@ -392,6 +394,16 @@ public abstract class AbstractFileSet extends DataType
             ? getRef(getProject()).isFollowSymlinks() : followSymlinks;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Sets whether an error is thrown if a directory does not exist.
+     *
+     * @param errorOnMissingDir true if missing directories cause errors,
+     *                        false if not.
+     */
+     public void setErrorOnMissingDir(boolean errorOnMissingDir) {
+         this.errorOnMissingDir = errorOnMissingDir;
+     }
+ 
     /**
      * Returns the directory scanner needed to access the files to process.
      * @return a <code>DirectoryScanner</code> instance.
@@ -418,17 +430,18 @@ public abstract class AbstractFileSet extends DataType
                     throw new BuildException("No directory specified for "
                                              + getDataTypeName() + ".");
                 }
-                if (!dir.exists()) {
+                if (!dir.exists() && errorOnMissingDir) {
                     throw new BuildException(dir.getAbsolutePath()
                                              + " not found.");
                 }
-                if (!dir.isDirectory()) {
+                if (!dir.isDirectory() && dir.exists()) {
                     throw new BuildException(dir.getAbsolutePath()
                                              + " is not a directory.");
                 }
                 ds = new DirectoryScanner();
                 setupDirectoryScanner(ds, p);
                 ds.setFollowSymlinks(followSymlinks);
+                ds.setErrorOnMissingDir(errorOnMissingDir);
                 directoryScanner = (p == getProject()) ? ds : directoryScanner;
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/tests/antunit/types/fileset-test.xml b/src/tests/antunit/types/fileset-test.xml
index cf909cddc..18e45716e 100644
--- a/src/tests/antunit/types/fileset-test.xml
+++ b/src/tests/antunit/types/fileset-test.xml
@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 <project xmlns:au="antlib:org.apache.ant.antunit" default="all">
 
+  <target name="test-fileset-missing-dir">
+    <path id="missing.path.id">
+      <fileset dir="not present"
+               erroronmissingdir="false"/>
+    </path>
+    <au:assertTrue>
+      <equals arg1="" arg2="${toString:missing.path.id}"/>
+    </au:assertTrue>
+  </target>
+
   <target name="test-fileset-with-if">
     <fileset id="this.xml" dir=".">
       <include if="trigger.include" name="fileset-test.xml"/>