diff --git a/core/modules/widgets/parameters.js b/core/modules/widgets/parameters.js
index 69194cb9e..fdd2cb963 100644
--- a/core/modules/widgets/parameters.js
+++ b/core/modules/widgets/parameters.js
@@ -74,6 +74,18 @@ ParametersWidget.prototype.execute = function() {
 				self.setVariable(variableName,getValue(name));
 			}
 		});
+	} else {
+		// There is no parent transclude. i.e. direct rendering.
+		// We use default values only.
+		$tw.utils.each($tw.utils.getOrderedAttributesFromParseTreeNode(self.parseTreeNode),function(attr,index) {
+			var name = attr.name;
+			// If the attribute name starts with $$ then reduce to a single dollar
+			if(name.substr(0,2) === "$$") {
+				name = name.substr(1);
+			}
+			var value = self.getAttribute(attr.name,"");
+			self.setVariable(name,value);
+		});
 	}
 	// Construct the child widgets
 	this.makeChildWidgets();
diff --git a/editions/test/tiddlers/tests/test-widget.js b/editions/test/tiddlers/tests/test-widget.js
index 1c7665a53..637104c0b 100755
--- a/editions/test/tiddlers/tests/test-widget.js
+++ b/editions/test/tiddlers/tests/test-widget.js
@@ -816,6 +816,26 @@ describe("Widget module", function() {
 		expect(wrapper.innerHTML).toBe("<p>Bval</p>");
 	});
 
+	it("should use default $parameters if directly rendered", function() {
+		var wiki = new $tw.Wiki();
+		var text = "<$parameters bee=default $$dollar=bill nothing empty=''>bee=<<bee>>, $dollar=<<$dollar>>, nothing=<<nothing>>, empty=<<empty>></$parameters>";
+		var widgetNode = createWidgetNode(parseText(text,wiki),wiki);
+		// Render the widget node to the DOM
+		var wrapper = renderWidgetNode(widgetNode);
+		// nothing = true in this attribute form because valueless attributes always equal true.
+		expect(wrapper.innerHTML).toBe("<p>bee=default, $dollar=bill, nothing=true, empty=</p>");
+	});
+
+	it("should use default \\parameters if directly rendered", function() {
+		var wiki = new $tw.Wiki();
+		var text = "\\parameters(bee:default $$dollar:bill nothing)\nbee=<<bee>>, $$dollar=<<$$dollar>>, nothing=<<nothing>>";
+		var widgetNode = createWidgetNode(parseText(text,wiki),wiki);
+		// Render the widget node to the DOM
+		var wrapper = renderWidgetNode(widgetNode);
+		// nothing = true in this attribute form because valueless attributes always equal true.
+		expect(wrapper.innerHTML).toBe("<p>bee=default, $$dollar=bill, nothing=</p>");
+	});
+
 	it("can have more than one macroDef variable imported", function() {
 		var wiki = new $tw.Wiki();
 		wiki.addTiddlers([