Career
His half-brother John I, Count of Holland, gave him the property of Haamstede, in Southern Holland. Their descendants were the Lords of Haamstede. In 1304 he led an army to victory in a battle against the Flemish, who were threatening the city of Haarlem.
He is said to have defeated the Flemish near Heemstede with the help of the Haarlemmers at the site of the In 1817 Mr.
David Jacob van Lennep, who lived in the stately house called Huis te next to the, encouraged the Heemstede council to erect a monument. Van Lennep had already composed a romantic song about Witte van Haemstede that was quite popular.
The legend says that Witte van Haemstede arrived by ship at Zandvoort and traveled overland to Haarlem over the, to help the Haarlemmers in their battle against the Flemish who had traveled overland from Hillegom and Lisse. This monument is called "De Naald" (The Needle).
