diff --git a/public/js/schema.js b/public/js/schema.js
index f0243e0..591b170 100644
--- a/public/js/schema.js
+++ b/public/js/schema.js
@@ -233,12 +233,28 @@ AvroDoc.Schema = function (avrodoc, shared_types, schema_json, filename) {
     if (primitive_types.includes(name)) {
       return decorate({ type: name });
     }
-    var type = named_types[qualifiedName(name, namespace)];
+
+    const qualifiedNameStr = qualifiedName(name, namespace);
+    const type = named_types[qualifiedNameStr];
     if (type) {
       return type;
-    } else {
-      throw "Unknown type name " + JSON.stringify(name) + " at " + path;
+    } else if (hasOwnPropertyS(shared_types, qualifiedNameStr)) {
+      const sharedType = shared_types[qualifiedNameStr].find(
+        (sharedSchema) => sharedSchema.qualified_name === name
+      );
+
+      if (sharedType) {
+        return sharedType;
+      } else {
+        // TODO: Should also support arbitrary ordering of Avro schemas (currently
+        // this only works if the schema to be referred is parsed first)
+        throw `Shared schema ${qualifiedNameStr} does not have type ${JSON.stringify(
+          name
+        )}, referred to at ${path}`;
+      }
     }
+
+    throw "Unknown type name " + JSON.stringify(name) + " at " + path;
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/schemata/reference_referent.avsc b/schemata/reference_referent.avsc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9541fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/schemata/reference_referent.avsc
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{
+  "name": "ToBeReferred",
+  "type": "record",
+  "namespace": "com.example_referent",
+  "doc": "A simple object provided as a building block",
+  "fields": [
+    {
+      "name": "value",
+      "type": "boolean",
+      "doc": "The value of the object to be referenced"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "history",
+      "type": "string",
+      "doc": "A history field detailing random information about the object"
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/schemata/reference_referrer.avsc b/schemata/reference_referrer.avsc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9918ee5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/schemata/reference_referrer.avsc
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{
+  "name": "TheReferrer",
+  "doc": "A complex object referencing object from another schemata",
+  "namespace": "com.example_referrer",
+  "type": "record",
+  "fields": [
+    {
+      "name": "name",
+      "type": "string",
+      "doc": "the name of the referrer object"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "externalObject",
+      "type": "com.example_referent.ToBeReferred",
+      "doc": "An object from another schemata"
+    }
+  ]
+}