Witte van Haemstede was a bastard son of Floris V, Count of Holland

Floris V, Count of Holland

Count Floris V of Holland and Zeeland , "der Keerlen God" , is one of the most important figures of the first, native dynasty of Holland . His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler...

. His half-brother John I, Count of Holland

John I, Count of Holland

John I was Count of Holland and son of Count Floris V. John inherited the county in 1296 after the murder of his father....

, gave him the property of Haamstede

Haamstede

Haamstede is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland.The statistical area "Haamstede", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 2460....

, in Southern Holland. He married Agnes van der Sluys, sometime before 1307. Their descendants were the Lords of Heemstede.

Manpad

In 1304 he led an army consisting of peasants and farmers to victory in a battle against the Flemish

County of Flanders

The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....

, who were threatening the city of Haarlem

Haarlem

Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...

. He is said to have defeated the Flemish near Heemstede

Heemstede

Heemstede is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History :Heemstede formed around the Castle Heemstede that was built on the Spaarne River around 1286. Before 1296, Floris V, Count of Holland, granted Heemstede as a fiefdom to Reinier of Holy...

 with the help of the Haarlemmers at the site of the Manpad.

In 1817 Mr. David Jacob van Lennep, who lived in the stately house called Huis te Manpad

Huis te Manpad

The Huis te Manpad, Heemstede is an historical villa and former summer home of Jacob van Lennep, bordered by the Leidsevaart, the Manpadslaan, and the Herenweg. It neighbors the estate of Hartekamp, famed for the gardens described by Linnaeus. Both estates still have trees and other flora dating...

 next to the Manpad, 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

Zandvoort

Zandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...

 and traveled overland to Haarlem over the Manpad, to help the Haarlemmers in their battle against the Flemish who had traveled overland from Hillegom

Hillegom

Hillegom is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 13.48 km² of which 0.61 km² is water....

 and Lisse

Lisse

Lisse is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 16.11 km² of which 0.41 km² is water. Its population is 21864...

. This monument is called 'De Naald' (The Needle).