Their has been a relentless attempt to connect Morris to "Fertiliy", "Pagan" and "Pre-Christian" practices. Genuine evidence is rare. "The Stations of the Sun" by Ronald Hutton is a genuine attempt to explore written sources rather that what people have been saying to each other for the past 100 odd years.

Collecting money was certainly a 19C priority that had little to do with the detail of the seasons.