diff --git a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/convert/MappingCouchbaseConverter.java b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/convert/MappingCouchbaseConverter.java
index 253012bc..5a58134b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/convert/MappingCouchbaseConverter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/convert/MappingCouchbaseConverter.java
@@ -28,10 +28,13 @@ import com.couchbase.spring.core.mapping.CouchbasePersistentProperty;
 import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+
 import org.codehaus.jackson.JsonEncoding;
 import org.codehaus.jackson.JsonFactory;
 import org.codehaus.jackson.JsonGenerator;
 import org.codehaus.jackson.JsonParser;
+import org.codehaus.jackson.JsonToken;
 import org.springframework.beans.BeansException;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContextAware;
@@ -66,13 +69,44 @@ public class MappingCouchbaseConverter extends AbstractCouchbaseConverter
 
   @Override
   public <R> R read(Class<R> type, ConvertedCouchbaseDocument doc) {
+  	CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> entity  = mappingContext.getPersistentEntity(type);
+  	
+  	R decoded = null;
+  	try {
+  		decoded = type.getConstructor(String.class).newInstance(doc.getId());
+  	} catch(Exception e) {
+  		throw new MappingException("Could not instantiate object while converting "
+          + doc.getId()); 	
+  	}
+  	
   	JsonFactory jsonFactory = new JsonFactory();
   	try {
   		JsonParser parser = jsonFactory.createJsonParser(doc.getValue());
+  		parser.nextToken();
+  		while(parser.nextToken() != JsonToken.END_OBJECT) {
+  			String fieldname = parser.getCurrentName();
+  			parser.nextToken();
+  			CouchbasePersistentProperty property = entity.getPersistentProperty(fieldname);
+  			if(property == null) {
+  				continue;
+  			}
+  			Field field = type.getDeclaredField(property.getOriginalName());
+  			field.setAccessible(true);
+  			
+  			if(property.getType().equals(boolean.class)) {
+  				field.set(decoded, parser.getValueAsBoolean());
+  			} else if(property.getType().equals(String.class)) {
+  				field.set(decoded, parser.getText());
+  			} else {
+  				throw new MappingException("Unknown type in JSON found: " + property.getType());
+  			}
+  		}
   	} catch(Exception e) {
       throw new MappingException("Could not read from JSON while converting "
-          + doc.getId()); 		
+          + doc.getId(), e); 		
   	}
+  	
+		return decoded;
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentEntity.java b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentEntity.java
index ba34de13..941d7d84 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentEntity.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentEntity.java
@@ -60,4 +60,5 @@ public class BasicCouchbasePersistentEntity<T>
   	}
   	return annotation.expiry();
   }
+  
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentProperty.java b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentProperty.java
index b2db7d6b..252cd38e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentProperty.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/BasicCouchbasePersistentProperty.java
@@ -76,5 +76,21 @@ public class BasicCouchbasePersistentProperty
     return annotation != null && StringUtils.hasText(annotation.value())
       ? annotation.value() : field.getName();
   }
+  
+  /**
+   * Return the name of the property.
+   * 
+   * This overrides the default implementation to make sure that when
+   * the property is retrieved from a JSON document it can be found
+   * even when a alias is used.
+   */
+  @Override
+  public String getName() {
+  	return getFieldName();
+  }
+  
+  public String getOriginalName() {
+  	return name;
+  }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/CouchbasePersistentProperty.java b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/CouchbasePersistentProperty.java
index cc99cd4c..536f3c33 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/CouchbasePersistentProperty.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/mapping/CouchbasePersistentProperty.java
@@ -35,4 +35,6 @@ public interface CouchbasePersistentProperty extends
    * custom annotation.
    */
   String getFieldName();
+  
+  String getOriginalName();
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/Beer.java b/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/Beer.java
index 56c18a41..44a9d5ad 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/Beer.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/Beer.java
@@ -65,5 +65,9 @@ public class Beer {
   public boolean getActive() {
     return active;
   }
+  
+  public String getId() {
+  	return id;
+  }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/CouchbaseTemplateTest.java b/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/CouchbaseTemplateTest.java
index 09223929..993c88b6 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/CouchbaseTemplateTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/couchbase/spring/core/CouchbaseTemplateTest.java
@@ -94,6 +94,22 @@ public class CouchbaseTemplateTest {
   	assertNull(client.get(id));
   }
   
+  @Test
+  public void validfindById() {
+    String id = "beers:findme-stout";
+    String name = "The Findme Stout";
+    boolean active = true;
+    Beer beer = new Beer(id).setName(name).setActive(active);
+  	template.save(beer);
+  	
+  	Beer found = template.findById(id, Beer.class);
+  	assertNotNull(found);
+  	assertEquals(id, found.getId());
+  	assertEquals(name, found.getName());
+  	assertEquals(active, found.getActive());
+  	
+  }
+  
   /**
    * A sample document with just an id and property.
    */