diff --git a/hugolib/page_frontmatter.go b/hugolib/page_frontmatter.go
index b8f3a4dc3ae..c88d482a10f 100644
--- a/hugolib/page_frontmatter.go
+++ b/hugolib/page_frontmatter.go
@@ -87,6 +87,9 @@ func init() {
 }
 
 func (f frontmatterHandler) handleDates(d frontMatterDescriptor) error {
+	if d.dates == nil {
+		panic("missing dates")
+	}
 
 	err := f.handleDate(d)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/hugolib/page_frontmatter_test.go b/hugolib/page_frontmatter_test.go
index ae87a1ca879..a0ac7e65c03 100644
--- a/hugolib/page_frontmatter_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/page_frontmatter_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/spf13/viper"
+
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
@@ -58,3 +60,134 @@ func TestDateAndSlugFromBaseFilename(t *testing.T) {
 
 	}
 }
+
+func TestFrontMatterDates(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	defaultDateSettings := []string{"none", "file"}
+
+	for _, defaultDateSetting := range defaultDateSettings {
+		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("defaultDate=%s", defaultDateSetting), func(t *testing.T) {
+			doTestFrontMatterDates(t, defaultDateSetting)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func doTestFrontMatterDates(t *testing.T, defaultDateSetting string) {
+	assert := require.New(t)
+
+	cfg := viper.New()
+
+	cfg.Set("frontmatter", map[string]interface{}{
+		"defaultDate": []string{defaultDateSetting},
+	})
+
+	handler, err := newFrontmatterHandler(newWarningLogger(), cfg)
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	testDate, err := time.Parse("2006-01-02", "2018-02-01")
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	sentinel := (time.Time{}).Add(1 * time.Hour)
+	zero := time.Time{}
+
+	// See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
+	for _, lastModKey := range []string{"lastmod", "modified"} {
+		for _, lastModDate := range []time.Time{testDate, sentinel} {
+			for _, dateKey := range []string{"date"} {
+				testDate = testDate.Add(24 * time.Hour)
+				for _, dateDate := range []time.Time{testDate, sentinel} {
+					for _, pubDateKey := range []string{"publishdate", "pubdate", "published"} {
+						testDate = testDate.Add(24 * time.Hour)
+						for _, pubDateDate := range []time.Time{testDate, sentinel} {
+							for _, expiryDateKey := range []string{"expirydate", "unpublishdate"} {
+								testDate = testDate.Add(24 * time.Hour)
+								for _, expiryDateDate := range []time.Time{testDate, sentinel} {
+									d := frontMatterDescriptor{
+										frontmatter: make(map[string]interface{}),
+										params:      make(map[string]interface{}),
+										dates:       &PageDates{},
+										pageURLs:    &URLPath{},
+									}
+
+									var (
+										//	expLastModP, expDateP, expPubDateP, expExiryDateP = sentinel, sentinel, sentinel, sentinel
+										expLastMod, expDate, expPubDate, expExiryDate = zero, zero, zero, zero
+									)
+
+									if lastModDate != sentinel {
+										d.frontmatter[lastModKey] = lastModDate
+										expLastMod = lastModDate
+										expDate = lastModDate
+									}
+
+									if dateDate != sentinel {
+										d.frontmatter[dateKey] = dateDate
+										expDate = dateDate
+									}
+
+									if pubDateDate != sentinel {
+										d.frontmatter[pubDateKey] = pubDateDate
+										expPubDate = pubDateDate
+									}
+
+									if expiryDateDate != sentinel {
+										d.frontmatter[expiryDateKey] = expiryDateDate
+										expExiryDate = expiryDateDate
+									}
+
+									assert.NoError(handler.handleDates(d))
+
+									assertFrontMatterDate(assert, d, expDate, "date")
+									assertFrontMatterDate(assert, d, expLastMod, "lastmod")
+									assertFrontMatterDate(assert, d, expPubDate, "publishdate")
+									assertFrontMatterDate(assert, d, expExiryDate, "expirydate")
+
+								}
+							}
+						}
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func assertFrontMatterDate(assert *require.Assertions, d frontMatterDescriptor, expected time.Time, dateField string) {
+	switch dateField {
+	case "date":
+	case "lastmod":
+	case "publishdate":
+	case "expirydate":
+	default:
+		assert.Failf("Unknown datefield %s", dateField)
+	}
+
+	param, found := d.params[dateField]
+
+	message := fmt.Sprintf("[%s] Found: %t Expected: %v Params: %v Front matter: %v", dateField, found, expected, d.params, d.frontmatter)
+
+	assert.True(found != expected.IsZero(), message)
+
+	if found {
+		if expected != param {
+			assert.Fail("Params check failed", "[%s] Expected:\n%q\nGot:\n%q", dateField, expected, param)
+		}
+		assert.Equal(expected, param)
+
+	}
+}
+
+type dateTestHelper struct {
+	name string
+
+	dates PageDates
+}
+
+func (d dateTestHelper) descriptor() frontMatterDescriptor {
+	return frontMatterDescriptor{dates: &d.dates}
+}
+
+func (d dateTestHelper) assert(t *testing.T) {
+
+}