il tenait ... à cette terre, he wanted that estate

Lit. tenir à, to be attached, to cling, to care for, to wish; also to be contiguous, to adjoin ; fig, to proceed from, to arise, to relate. Ex : ces événements tiennent à des causes inconnues, these e vents proceed from unknown causes ; tout ce qui tient à mon sujet, ail that relates to my subject. Cf. : tenir de, (1) to hâve something of, to partake of the nature of : ce voyage tient du roman, there is something marvellous about that voyage ; (2) to take after : cet enfant tient de son pére^ that child takes after his father; il a de qui tenir, he is a chip of the old block.