""...and does anyone know how Cecil Sharp was viewed by his contemporary collectors during the early twentieth century."

A good place to start is Vic Gammon's fine introduction to the 'Still Growing: English Traditional Songs and Singers from the Cecil Sharp Collection', The English Folk Dance & Song Society in association with Folk South West, 2003 (ISBN 0 85418 187 3). Dr Gammon tells us that, "Sharp was not an easy man to get on with. On the other hand, he inspired loyalty among his friends and followers. These included Ralph Vaughan Williams ..., Maud Karpeles, Douglas Kennedy, and Helen Kennedy" ('Still Growing'p. 17).

For me this introduction is the best analysis of Sharp ever written and is very balanced and fair-minded - highly recommended.