diff --git a/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests.cs b/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests.cs
index db1a4726..f426b520 100644
--- a/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests.cs
+++ b/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests.cs
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
     /// <author>Aleksandar Seovic (.NET)</author>
     public abstract class AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests : AbstractSpringContextTests
     {
-        private bool registerContextWithContextRegistry = true;
         private bool populateProtectedVariables = false;
         private AutoWiringMode autowireMode = AutoWiringMode.ByType;
         private bool dependencyCheck = true;
@@ -100,17 +99,6 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
         public AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests()
         {}
 
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Controls, whether the <see cref="applicationContext"/> instance will
-        /// be registered/unregistered with the global <see cref="ContextRegistry"/> before and after each test.
-        /// Defaults to <c>true</c>.
-        /// </summary>
-        public bool RegisterContextWithContextRegistry
-        {
-            get { return registerContextWithContextRegistry; }
-            set { registerContextWithContextRegistry = value; }
-        }
-
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets a flag specifying whether to populate protected 
         /// variables of this test case.
@@ -179,10 +167,6 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
         public virtual void SetUp()
         {
             this.applicationContext = GetContext(ContextKey);
-            if (RegisterContextWithContextRegistry)
-            {
-                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(this.applicationContext);
-            }
             InjectDependencies();
             try
             {
@@ -366,13 +350,6 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
             {
                 logger.Error("OnTearDown error", ex);
             }
-            finally
-            {
-                if (RegisterContextWithContextRegistry)
-                {
-                    ContextRegistry.Clear();
-                }                
-            }
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractSpringContextTests.cs b/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractSpringContextTests.cs
index 99dcae2f..9e4e45dd 100644
--- a/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractSpringContextTests.cs
+++ b/src/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit/Testing/NUnit/AbstractSpringContextTests.cs
@@ -65,6 +65,11 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
             contextKeyToContextMap.Clear();
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Indicates, whether context instances should be automatically registered with the global <see cref="ContextRegistry"/>.
+        /// </summary>
+        private bool registerContextWithContextRegistry = true;
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Logger available to subclasses.
         /// </summary>
@@ -78,6 +83,17 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
             logger = LogManager.GetLogger(GetType());
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Controls, whether application context instances will
+        /// be registered/unregistered with the global <see cref="ContextRegistry"/>.
+        /// Defaults to <c>true</c>.
+        /// </summary>
+        public bool RegisterContextWithContextRegistry
+        {
+            get { return registerContextWithContextRegistry; }
+            set { registerContextWithContextRegistry = value; }
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Set custom locations dirty. This will cause them to be reloaded
         /// from the cache before the next test case is executed.
@@ -112,7 +128,8 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
         /// </returns>
 	    protected bool HasCachedContext(object contextKey) 
         {
-		    return contextKeyToContextMap.Contains(contextKey);
+            string keyString = ContextKeyString(contextKey);
+            return contextKeyToContextMap.Contains(keyString);
 	    }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -151,7 +168,14 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
 	    public void AddContext(object key, IConfigurableApplicationContext context) 
         {
             AssertUtils.ArgumentNotNull(context, "context", "ApplicationContext must not be null");
-		    contextKeyToContextMap[ContextKeyString(key)] = context;
+            string keyString = ContextKeyString(key);
+            contextKeyToContextMap.Add(keyString, context);
+
+            if (RegisterContextWithContextRegistry
+                && !ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(context.Name))
+            {
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(context);
+            }
 	    }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -174,7 +198,7 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
                 {
 				    ctx = LoadContext(key);
 			    }
-			    contextKeyToContextMap[keyString] = ctx;
+			    AddContext(key, ctx);
 		    }
 		    return ctx;
 	    }
diff --git a/test/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit.Tests/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTestsTests.cs b/test/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit.Tests/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTestsTests.cs
index b62eb00c..82060a1b 100644
--- a/test/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit.Tests/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTestsTests.cs
+++ b/test/Spring/Spring.Testing.NUnit.Tests/Testing/NUnit/AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTestsTests.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
 	{
         private class TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests :AbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests
         {
+            public static readonly string[] CONFIGLOCATIONS = new string[] {"assembly://Spring.Testing.NUnit.Tests/Spring.Testing.NUnit/TestApplicationContext.xml"};
+
             public TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests()
             {}
 
@@ -28,8 +30,13 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
 
             protected override string[] ConfigLocations
             {
-                get { return new string[] {"assembly://Spring.Testing.NUnit.Tests/Spring.Testing.NUnit/TestApplicationContext.xml"}; }
+                get { return CONFIGLOCATIONS; }
             }
+
+            public new bool HasContextCached(object key)
+            {
+                return base.HasCachedContext(key);
+            }            
         }
 
         private TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests fixtureInstance ;
@@ -41,14 +48,26 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
         }
 
 	    [Test]
-        public void RegistersAndUnregistersWithContextRegistryByDefault()
+        public void RegistersWithContextRegistryByDefault()
+	    {
+	        fixtureInstance = new TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests();
+            Assert.IsTrue(fixtureInstance.RegisterContextWithContextRegistry);
+	    }
+
+	    [Test]
+        public void UnregistersFromContextRegistryWhenDirty()
 	    {
 	        fixtureInstance = new TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests();
             Assert.IsTrue(fixtureInstance.RegisterContextWithContextRegistry);
             fixtureInstance.SetUp();
             Assert.IsTrue( ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext.Name) );
             fixtureInstance.TearDown();
-            Assert.IsFalse( ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext.Name) );
+            Assert.IsTrue(ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext.Name));
+            fixtureInstance.SetUp();
+            Assert.IsTrue(ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext.Name));
+            fixtureInstance.SetDirty();
+            fixtureInstance.TearDown();
+            Assert.IsFalse(ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext.Name));
 	    }
 
 	    [Test]
@@ -63,7 +82,6 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
             Assert.IsFalse( ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext.Name) );
 	    }
 
-
         [Test]
         public void CachesApplicationContexts()
         {
@@ -71,6 +89,7 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
             fixtureInstance.SetUp();            
             Assert.IsNotNull(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext);
             Assert.AreEqual(1, fixtureInstance.LoadCount); // context has been loaded
+            Assert.IsTrue(fixtureInstance.HasContextCached(TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests.CONFIGLOCATIONS));
             fixtureInstance.TearDown();
             
             TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests otherFixtureInstance = new TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests(false);
@@ -78,9 +97,10 @@ namespace Spring.Testing.NUnit
             Assert.IsNotNull(otherFixtureInstance.ApplicationContext);
             Assert.AreEqual(0, otherFixtureInstance.LoadCount); // context was obtained from cache
             Assert.AreSame(fixtureInstance.ApplicationContext, otherFixtureInstance.ApplicationContext);
-            otherFixtureInstance.SetDirty(); // dispose
+            otherFixtureInstance.SetDirty(); // purge cache and dispose cached instances
+            Assert.IsFalse(fixtureInstance.HasContextCached(TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests.CONFIGLOCATIONS));
             otherFixtureInstance.TearDown();
-            
+           
             otherFixtureInstance = new TestAbstractDependencyInjectionSpringContextTests(false);
             otherFixtureInstance.SetUp();            
             Assert.IsNotNull(otherFixtureInstance.ApplicationContext);