diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-context-private.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-context-private.h
index e497c4451..785295f90 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-context-private.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-context-private.h
@@ -270,11 +270,6 @@ struct _CoglContext
      same state multiple times. When the clip state is flushed this
      will hold a reference */
   CoglClipStack    *current_clip_stack;
-  /* Whether the stencil buffer was used as part of the current clip
-     state. If TRUE then any further use of the stencil buffer (such
-     as for drawing paths) would need to be merged with the existing
-     stencil buffer */
-  gboolean          current_clip_stack_uses_stencil;
 
   /* This is used as a temporary buffer to fill a CoglBuffer when
      cogl_buffer_map fails and we only want to map to fill it with new
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/cogl-clip-stack-gl.c b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/cogl-clip-stack-gl.c
index 31f078f93..2bc754cc0 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/cogl-clip-stack-gl.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/cogl-clip-stack-gl.c
@@ -383,7 +383,6 @@ _cogl_clip_stack_gl_flush (CoglClipStack *stack,
     {
       COGL_NOTE (CLIPPING, "Flushed empty clip stack");
 
-      ctx->current_clip_stack_uses_stencil = FALSE;
       GE (ctx, glDisable (GL_SCISSOR_TEST));
       return;
     }
@@ -502,6 +501,4 @@ _cogl_clip_stack_gl_flush (CoglClipStack *stack,
            * box */
         }
     }
-
-  ctx->current_clip_stack_uses_stencil = using_stencil_buffer;
 }