diff --git a/CHANGELOG.txt b/CHANGELOG.txt
index bb443c4849..cec014fcdf 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.txt
+++ b/CHANGELOG.txt
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Changelog
  * Image upload form in image chooser now performs client side validation so that the selected file is not lost in the submission (Jack Paine)
  * oEmbed URL for audioBoom was updated (Janneke Janssen)
  * Remember tree location in page chooser when switching between Internal / External / Email link (Matt Westcott)
+ * `FieldRowPanel` now creates equal-width columns automatically if `col*` classnames are not specified (Chris Rogers)
  * Fix: Email templates and document uploader now support custom `STATICFILES_STORAGE` (Jonny Scholes)
 
 
diff --git a/docs/reference/pages/panels.rst b/docs/reference/pages/panels.rst
index 50d863dc12..014aba7120 100644
--- a/docs/reference/pages/panels.rst
+++ b/docs/reference/pages/panels.rst
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ FieldRowPanel
 
     Use of FieldRowPanel particularly helps reduce the "snow-blindness" effect of seeing so many fields on the page, for complex models. It also improves the perceived association between fields of a similar nature. For example if you created a model representing an "Event" which had a starting date and ending date, it may be intuitive to find the start and end date on the same "row".
 
-    FieldRowPanel should be used in combination with ``col*`` class names added to each of the child Panels of the FieldRowPanel. The Wagtail editing interface is laid out using a grid system, in which the maximum width of the editor is 12 columns. Classes ``col1``-``col12`` can be applied to each child of a FieldRowPanel. The class ``col3`` will ensure that field appears 3 columns wide or a quarter the width. ``col4`` would cause the field to be 4 columns wide, or a third the width.
+    By default, the panel is divided into equal-width columns, but this can be overridden by adding ``col*`` class names to each of the child Panels of the FieldRowPanel. The Wagtail editing interface is laid out using a grid system, in which the maximum width of the editor is 12 columns. Classes ``col1``-``col12`` can be applied to each child of a FieldRowPanel. The class ``col3`` will ensure that field appears 3 columns wide or a quarter the width. ``col4`` would cause the field to be 4 columns wide, or a third the width.
 
     .. attribute:: FieldRowPanel.children
 
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.6.rst b/docs/releases/1.6.rst
index 1368696b6a..592f26238c 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.6.rst
+++ b/docs/releases/1.6.rst
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Minor features
  * Image upload form in image chooser now performs client side validation so that the selected file is not lost in the submission (Jack Paine)
  * oEmbed URL for audioBoom was updated (Janneke Janssen)
  * Remember tree location in page chooser when switching between Internal / External / Email link (Matt Westcott)
+ * ``FieldRowPanel`` now creates equal-width columns automatically if ``col*`` classnames are not specified (Chris Rogers)
 
 
 Bug fixes