diff --git a/rlp/decode.go b/rlp/decode.go
index 1ff0557165..9850458141 100644
--- a/rlp/decode.go
+++ b/rlp/decode.go
@@ -385,6 +385,11 @@ func makeStructDecoder(typ reflect.Type) (decoder, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	for _, f := range fields {
+		if f.info.decoderErr != nil {
+			return nil, structFieldError{typ, f.index, f.info.decoderErr}
+		}
+	}
 	dec := func(s *Stream, val reflect.Value) (err error) {
 		if _, err := s.List(); err != nil {
 			return wrapStreamError(err, typ)
diff --git a/rlp/decode_test.go b/rlp/decode_test.go
index c0d202c22e..634d1cf3bb 100644
--- a/rlp/decode_test.go
+++ b/rlp/decode_test.go
@@ -365,6 +365,10 @@ type nilStringSlice struct {
 	X *[]uint `rlp:"nilString"`
 }
 
+type intField struct {
+	X int
+}
+
 var (
 	veryBigInt = big.NewInt(0).Add(
 		big.NewInt(0).Lsh(big.NewInt(0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFF), 16),
@@ -496,6 +500,11 @@ var decodeTests = []decodeTest{
 		ptr:   new(recstruct),
 		error: "rlp: expected input string or byte for uint, decoding into (rlp.recstruct).Child.I",
 	},
+	{
+		input: "C103",
+		ptr:   new(intField),
+		error: "rlp: type int is not RLP-serializable (struct field rlp.intField.X)",
+	},
 	{
 		input: "C50102C20102",
 		ptr:   new(tailUint),
@@ -531,12 +540,12 @@ var decodeTests = []decodeTest{
 	{
 		input: "C0",
 		ptr:   new(invalidTail1),
-		error: "rlp: invalid struct tag \"tail\" for rlp.invalidTail1.A (must be on last field)",
+		error: `rlp: invalid struct tag "tail" for rlp.invalidTail1.A (must be on last field)`,
 	},
 	{
 		input: "C0",
 		ptr:   new(invalidTail2),
-		error: "rlp: invalid struct tag \"tail\" for rlp.invalidTail2.B (field type is not slice)",
+		error: `rlp: invalid struct tag "tail" for rlp.invalidTail2.B (field type is not slice)`,
 	},
 
 	// struct tag "-"
diff --git a/rlp/encode.go b/rlp/encode.go
index 709ff313d4..9c9e8d706d 100644
--- a/rlp/encode.go
+++ b/rlp/encode.go
@@ -480,6 +480,11 @@ func makeStructWriter(typ reflect.Type) (writer, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	for _, f := range fields {
+		if f.info.writerErr != nil {
+			return nil, structFieldError{typ, f.index, f.info.writerErr}
+		}
+	}
 	writer := func(val reflect.Value, w *encbuf) error {
 		lh := w.list()
 		for _, f := range fields {
diff --git a/rlp/encode_test.go b/rlp/encode_test.go
index c3efdf9a41..b4b9e51287 100644
--- a/rlp/encode_test.go
+++ b/rlp/encode_test.go
@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@ var encTests = []encTest{
 	{val: &tailRaw{A: 1, Tail: []RawValue{}}, output: "C101"},
 	{val: &tailRaw{A: 1, Tail: nil}, output: "C101"},
 	{val: &hasIgnoredField{A: 1, B: 2, C: 3}, output: "C20103"},
+	{val: &intField{X: 3}, error: "rlp: type int is not RLP-serializable (struct field rlp.intField.X)"},
 
 	// nil
 	{val: (*uint)(nil), output: "80"},
diff --git a/rlp/typecache.go b/rlp/typecache.go
index f122e3d702..e9a1e3f9e2 100644
--- a/rlp/typecache.go
+++ b/rlp/typecache.go
@@ -126,6 +126,16 @@ func structFields(typ reflect.Type) (fields []field, err error) {
 	return fields, nil
 }
 
+type structFieldError struct {
+	typ   reflect.Type
+	field int
+	err   error
+}
+
+func (e structFieldError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%v (struct field %v.%s)", e.err, e.typ, e.typ.Field(e.field).Name)
+}
+
 type structTagError struct {
 	typ             reflect.Type
 	field, tag, err string