diff --git a/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt b/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt
index 6f845b803..ab4c8605c 100644
--- a/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt
+++ b/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt
@@ -1668,6 +1668,8 @@ curses: with window borders on and align_status:left, restoring brought up a
 curses: after changing curses_mark_synch() to do something, making a menu
 	selection by entering a count that uses more than 1 digit caused the
 	menu to vanish
+curses: setting up default roguesymset at startup clobbered primary symset if
+	config file picked Enhanced1 for primary (core bug exposed by curses)
 Qt: at Xp levels above 20 with 'showexp' On, the combined status field
 	"Level:NN/nnnnnnnn" was too big and truncated by a char at each end
 Qt: searching a text window for something that wasn't found and then searching
diff --git a/src/symbols.c b/src/symbols.c
index 5ce5ed101..c277c76ab 100644
--- a/src/symbols.c
+++ b/src/symbols.c
@@ -321,6 +321,11 @@ update_rogue_symset(const struct symparse* symp, int val)
 void
 clear_symsetentry(int which_set, boolean name_too)
 {
+#ifdef ENHANCED_SYMBOLS
+    int other_set = (which_set == PRIMARYSET) ? ROGUESET : PRIMARYSET;
+    enum symset_handling_types old_handling = gs.symset[which_set].handling;
+#endif
+
     if (gs.symset[which_set].desc)
         free((genericptr_t) gs.symset[which_set].desc);
     gs.symset[which_set].desc = (char *) 0;
@@ -337,7 +342,10 @@ clear_symsetentry(int which_set, boolean name_too)
         gs.symset[which_set].name = (char *) 0;
     }
 #ifdef ENHANCED_SYMBOLS
-    free_all_glyphmap_u();
+    /* if 'which_set' was using UTF8, it isn't anymore; if the other set
+       isn't using UTF8, discard the data for that */
+    if (old_handling == H_UTF8 && gs.symset[other_set].handling != H_UTF8)
+        free_all_glyphmap_u();
     purge_custom_entries(which_set);
 #endif
 }