diff --git a/cake/libs/view/helpers/form.php b/cake/libs/view/helpers/form.php
index 8cffc7f9f..9c6ac061f 100644
--- a/cake/libs/view/helpers/form.php
+++ b/cake/libs/view/helpers/form.php
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@ class FormHelper extends AppHelper {
  */
 	function error($field, $text = null, $options = array()) {
 		$this->setFormTag($field);
+		$options = am(array('wrap' => true, 'class' => 'error-message', 'escape' => true), $options);
 
 		if ($error = $this->tagIsInvalid()) {
 			if ($text != null) {
@@ -222,7 +223,14 @@ class FormHelper extends AppHelper {
 			} elseif (is_numeric($error)) {
 				$error = 'Error in field ' . Inflector::humanize($this->field());
 			}
-			return $this->Html->div('error-message', $error);
+			if ($options['escape']) {
+				$error = h($error);
+			}
+			if ($options['wrap'] === true) {
+				return $this->Html->div($options['class'], $error);
+			} else {
+				return $error;
+			}
 		} else {
 			return null;
 		}
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/form.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/form.test.php
index 518897542..6a83a1568 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/form.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/form.test.php
@@ -144,6 +144,28 @@ class FormHelperTest extends UnitTestCase {
 		$this->assertNoPattern('/<input[^<>]+[^type|name|id|value|class]=[^<>]*>/', $result);
 	}
 
+	function testFieldError() {
+		$this->Form->validationErrors['Model']['field'] = 1;
+		$result = $this->Form->error('Model.field');
+		$this->assertEqual($result, '<div class="error-message">Error in field Field</div>');
+
+		$result = $this->Form->error('Model.field', null, array('wrap' => false));
+		$this->assertEqual($result, 'Error in field Field');
+
+		$this->Form->validationErrors['Model']['field'] = "This field contains invalid input";
+		$result = $this->Form->error('Model.field', null, array('wrap' => false));
+		$this->assertEqual($result, 'This field contains invalid input');
+
+		$result = $this->Form->error('Model.field', "<strong>Badness!</strong>", array('wrap' => false));
+		$this->assertEqual($result, '&lt;strong&gt;Badness!&lt;/strong&gt;');
+
+		$result = $this->Form->error('Model.field', "<strong>Badness!</strong>", array('wrap' => false, 'escape' => true));
+		$this->assertEqual($result, '&lt;strong&gt;Badness!&lt;/strong&gt;');
+
+		$result = $this->Form->error('Model.field', "<strong>Badness!</strong>", array('wrap' => false, 'escape' => false));
+		$this->assertEqual($result, '<strong>Badness!</strong>');
+	}
+
 	function testPassword() {
 		$result = $this->Form->password('Model/field');
 		$expected = '<input name="data[Model][field]" type="password" value="" id="ModelField" />';