Chippings from a felled tree - said to be planted by Charlotte Brontë, author of Jane Eyre, on her marriage in 1854 - have turned into a money-spinner.

Brontë guardians in Haworth are packaging the slices of Cyprus pine as limited edition souvenirs.

The original tree, which grew in the Brontë Parsonage Museum front garden, was felled in January because its roots were dying and it posed a danger to the public.

Within just over a week of the slices being offered, £1,000 was raised - £100 coming from one individual living in the south of England.

Demand has also been flooding in from Brontë fans throughout the world. First to get his slice from Brontë Parsonage Museum director Alan Bentley was William Callaghan, a Brontë Society member from Oxenhope.

Mr Bentley said: "Members were asked to donate money to the conservation fund in return for this package of history - they have responded remarkably."

The souvenirs have initially been offered to society members in return for a donation of £5 or over.

"The money will go to the care and collection of Brontë memorabilia.

"The Brontës may have been surprised by the interest but may have understood it," he added. The original tree is one of a pair planted by Charlotte and her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, on their marriage.

The other is still standing.

A sapling grown from the felled tree has been planted in the same area.

People wishing to buy a slice should write to the Brontë Society Museum, Haworth, enclosing a minimum of £5 and a stamped-addressed envelope.