Index: Python/errors.c
===================================================================
--- Python/errors.c	(revision 76959)
+++ Python/errors.c	(working copy)
@@ -604,6 +604,30 @@
 	return result;
 }
 
+/* Create and document an exception */
+PyObject *
+PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc(char *name, const char *doc, PyObject *base)
+{
+	PyObject *dict = NULL;
+	PyObject *_doc;
+
+	if (doc != NULL) {
+		dict = PyDict_New();
+		if (dict == NULL) {
+			return NULL;
+		}
+		_doc = PyString_FromString(doc);
+		if (_doc == NULL || PyDict_SetItemString(dict, "__doc__", _doc) != 0) {
+			Py_XDECREF(_doc);
+			Py_DECREF(dict);
+			return NULL;
+		}
+		Py_DECREF(_doc);
+	}
+
+	return PyErr_NewException(name, base, dict);
+}
+
 /* Call when an exception has occurred but there is no way for Python
    to handle it.  Examples: exception in __del__ or during GC. */
 void
Index: Include/pyerrors.h
===================================================================
--- Include/pyerrors.h	(revision 76959)
+++ Include/pyerrors.h	(working copy)
@@ -222,6 +222,8 @@
 /* Function to create a new exception */
 PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyErr_NewException(char *name, PyObject *base,
                                          PyObject *dict);
+PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc(char *name, const char *doc,
+                                                PyObject *base);
 PyAPI_FUNC(void) PyErr_WriteUnraisable(PyObject *);
 
 /* In sigcheck.c or signalmodule.c */
Index: Doc/c-api/exceptions.rst
===================================================================
--- Doc/c-api/exceptions.rst	(revision 76959)
+++ Doc/c-api/exceptions.rst	(working copy)
@@ -433,6 +433,18 @@
    argument can be used to specify a dictionary of class variables and methods.
 
 
+.. cfunction:: PyObject* PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc(char *name, const char *doc, PyObject *base)
+
+   Creates and returns a new exception object.  The *name* argument must be the
+   name of the new exception, a C string of the form ``module.class``.  If *doc*
+   is non-*NULL*, it will be used to define the docstring for the exception.
+   If *base* is NULL, it creates a class object derived from :exc:`Exception`
+   (accessible in C as :cdata:`PyExc_Exception`). See :cfunc:`PyErr_NewException`
+   for more information about *name* and *base*.
+
+   .. versionadded:: 2.7
+
+
 .. cfunction:: void PyErr_WriteUnraisable(PyObject *obj)
 
    This utility function prints a warning message to ``sys.stderr`` when an
Index: Doc/data/refcounts.dat
===================================================================
--- Doc/data/refcounts.dat	(revision 76959)
+++ Doc/data/refcounts.dat	(working copy)
@@ -242,6 +242,11 @@
 PyErr_NewException:PyObject*:base:0:
 PyErr_NewException:PyObject*:dict:0:
 
+PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc:PyObject*::+1:
+PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc:char*:name::
+PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc:char*:doc::
+PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc:PyObject*:base:0:
+
 PyErr_NoMemory:PyObject*::null:
 
 PyErr_NormalizeException:void:::
Index: Lib/test/test_exceptions.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/test/test_exceptions.py	(revision 76959)
+++ Lib/test/test_exceptions.py	(working copy)
@@ -429,7 +429,32 @@
             self.assertTrue(e is RuntimeError, e)
             self.assertTrue("maximum recursion depth exceeded" in str(v), v)
 
+    def test_exception_with_doc(self):
+        import _testcapi
+        doc2 = "This is a test docstring."
+        doc4 = "This is another test docstring."
 
+        self.assertRaises(SystemError, _testcapi.make_exception_with_doc,
+                          "error1")
+
+        error1 = _testcapi.make_exception_with_doc("_testcapi.error1")
+        self.assertIs(type(error1), type)
+        self.assertTrue(issubclass(error1, Exception))
+        self.assertIsNone(error1.__doc__)
+
+        error2 = _testcapi.make_exception_with_doc("_testcapi.error2", doc2)
+        self.assertEqual(error2.__doc__, doc2)
+
+        error3 = _testcapi.make_exception_with_doc("_testcapi.error3",
+                                                   base=error2)
+        self.assertTrue(issubclass(error3, error2))
+
+        error4 = _testcapi.make_exception_with_doc("_testcapi.error4", doc4,
+                                                   error3)
+        self.assertTrue(issubclass(error4, error3))
+        self.assertEqual(error4.__doc__, doc4)
+
+
 def test_main():
     run_unittest(ExceptionTests)
 
Index: Modules/_testcapimodule.c
===================================================================
--- Modules/_testcapimodule.c	(revision 76959)
+++ Modules/_testcapimodule.c	(working copy)
@@ -1033,6 +1033,25 @@
 	return (PyObject *)PyCode_NewEmpty(filename, funcname, firstlineno);
 }
 
+/* Test PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc (also exercise PyErr_NewException).
+   Run via Lib/test/test_exceptions.py */
+static PyObject *
+make_exception_with_doc(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	char *name;
+	const char *doc = NULL;
+	PyObject *base = NULL;
+
+	static char *kwlist[] = {"name", "doc", "base", NULL};
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs,
+			"s|sO:make_exception_with_doc", kwlist,
+			&name, &doc, &base))
+		return NULL;
+
+	return PyErr_NewExceptionWithDoc(name, doc, base);
+}
+
 static PyMethodDef TestMethods[] = {
 	{"raise_exception",	raise_exception,		 METH_VARARGS},
 	{"test_config",		(PyCFunction)test_config,	 METH_NOARGS},
@@ -1081,6 +1100,8 @@
 #endif
 	{"traceback_print", traceback_print, 	         METH_VARARGS},
 	{"code_newempty", code_newempty, 	         METH_VARARGS},
+	{"make_exception_with_doc", (PyCFunction)make_exception_with_doc,
+	 METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS},
 	{NULL, NULL} /* sentinel */
 };