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I will not apologize for changing my mind, nor will I lower my standards. Good enough is not good enough for me.
Martha Tinsdale


Martha Tinsdale (née Endicott) is the pillar of Middleton's community and a member of the well-respect Endicott family. From her boisterous personality to her strive for perfection, Martha is the driving force behind the towns many committees, events, and spirit. She is a proud resident of Middleton.

Her husband, Tom, was the mayor of Middleton for over a decade, while Martha served as his second-in-command, organizer, and planner. While helping her husband, Martha simultaneously raised their sons Michael and Dylan.

After Tom and Cassie's Mayoral terms, Martha was elected mayor of the town and wore the title with pride and vigor. She remained mayor for over five years before she was stripped of the title due to an error in the town lines placed her as a resident of Blairsville. When the error was sorted, Abigail resigned as Mayor, and Martha was re-appointed.

Biography

Martha was born outside of Middleton, to a wealthy upper-class family alongside her identical cousin Maxine. She enjoyed the life she had and attended college after she graduated from high school. While she enjoyed college, part of her longed for more and felt that she didn't belong in that world. It was around that time that she moved to Middleton and settled into the quaint town. She then married Tom Tinsdale in 1984[1], and helped him become elected Mayor, and stood by his side the entire time. Her social status in the town soared, and she became invested in the town's prosperity and looked to as a pillar of the community.

At some point in her and Tom's marriage, the couple had two sons, whom they named Michael and Dylan. By the time Tom settled into being Mayor, Martha felt a pull to leadership and secretly wanted to become Mayor one day. In the meantime, she became the head of the citizen's council, the leader of the heritage foundation, the cities event planner, and took up many other roles in the community. Martha was also the inaugural host of Middleton Today.

Throughout The Good Witch Movies

The Good Witch

Not much happens in the quiet town of Middleton, where the crime rate is so low it's almost a joke to the local police. The towns busybodies are quite pleased with the identical nature of every citizen, and how everything fits together just so. It's no surprise that when the townspeople notice someone living in the abandoned, and rumored to be haunted, Grey House, that a surge of panic rises. Martha Tinsdale, the wife of Mayor Tom Tinsdale and the busiest body in town, immediately reports her strange findings of someone squatting in the house to the chief of police, Jake Russell, forcing him to investigate.

When they arrive, they at first believe the house to be empty. But just as they are about to leave, a young woman appears on the staircase and welcomes them. She introduces herself as Cassandra Nightingale, and her "wicked" sense of humor, sense of mystery, and keen fashion tastes are quick to charm. Martha is horrified that anyone is living in such squalor as Grey House, and informs Cassie of the community's standards. She wants Cassie to bulldoze right over Grey House and rebuild, but Cassie thinks the house has a charm just the way it is. Jake apologizes to Cassie for bursting in and leaves with Martha. It is Martha who begins the rumor Cassie is a black magic witch who will corrupt the town and everyone in it. These rumors are fueled when Cassie opens a new shop on Main Street, Bell, Book & Candle, that sells Celtic, homeopathic, new age, metaphysical, and Wiccan items. This throws Martha into a tizzy as she loves the current state of things and doesn't want anything to change, despite Cassie noting that if you hold onto something too tight you'll choke it.

Martha's crusade to rid the town of Middleton from Cassie and her black magic continues at full force. She stops her friends from going near the shop. She ambushes Cassie in Bell, Book & Candle to see the store for herself. As she and Cassie talk, Martha notices the foreign masks from Cassie's travels. Mistaking the acknowledgement for interest, Cassie startles Martha by raising a mask. Martha shouts in fright and her foot catches on a display. She topples over, refuses to let Cassie touch her, and then hurries out of the shop. Martha threatens to press charges for assault against Cassie for shoving her over the display. Tom supports his wife and believes that Cassie pushed her. While the egregious accusations are thwarted by Jake, Martha's crusade continues with a petition to have Bell, Book & Candle closed down. She petitions outside the shop and encourages the townspeople to join her. Jake tries to intervene but Martha makes a public stand with her sons as she tells him to arrest her for exercising her right as stated in the towns bylaws. The picketing affects Cassie as she begins to wonder if Middleton is the right place for her after all.

On Halloween night, Jake is alerted by Deputy Derek Sanders that two boys vandalized Cassie's shop. The pair head to the station where they learn the boys responsible are Martha's two sons, Michael and Dylan.

Martha pressures Jake to release her boys at once without charges, accusing him of being at fault and not her boys. Her husband, the Mayor Tom Tinsdale, does just that. But Jake refuses to yield to the political pressures and explains the charges that are being filed. He also confesses his love for Cassie. In that moment, Cassie decides that she won't be pressing charges against the boys after all. She doesn't want their lives to be ruined over one mistake. Martha is satisfied with the dropping of the charges and tries to put the blame on Cassie and her black magic shop, but Tom finally intervenes and puts a stop to Martha's antics. He demands she let her vendetta go as she's the one who planted the idea of hatred in their sons heads. He apologizes to Cassie for the trouble, much to Martha's horror, and promises that his sons will help clean up the damage they've caused. The Tinsdale's also offer to pay for any additional damage.

Good Witch's Garden

It's Fall in Middleton with the Bicentennial Celebration just around the corner. Cassie has expanded Grey House into a beautiful garden, filled with lush plants that are ogled by garden club member Gwen and her nosy friend Martha Tinsdale. Martha and Gwen sneak onto the Grey House property to look at the plants. Martha finds it strange and weird that roses are blooming this late in the season, and wonders what other strange plants are growing in the garden. Just then, a creeper plan wraps around Martha's foot causing her to shriek with horror. She kicks off the plant and runs out of the garden with Gwen in town. Unbeknownst to Martha, Cassie is watching from behind the vines.

Martha flees to the police station to file a complaint. Deputy Derek Sanders is surprised that Cassie grabbed Martha's ankle, but Martha admits the plant it. She tells a dubious Jake that she thinks some of those plants aren't legal and demands he investigate. Jake follows up with Cassie. Cassie is adamant that her plants would never attack anyone, but they may have given Martha little hug. Jake relays the message that Martha is spreading a rumor that Grey House isn't safe to be the host of the Bicentennial Celebration, but Cassie assures him that's preposterous and Grey House is perfectly safe.

Good Witch's Gift

Martha Tinsdale is settling into her position as head of the Citizen's League and finishes their annual meeting. She reminds Betty the baker that she must repaint her highway sign as it's getting dingy. After all, Middleton has standards. Betty can't afford that right now but Martha presses that another shop owner would love to have the advertisement space. She then dismisses everyone using the gavel she purchased, relishing in the surge of power it gives her. Her husband, and the Mayor, Tom Tinsdale enters and pulls Martha aside as his news isn't pleasant. He's made a poor real estate investment and they've lost everything aside from their home and his Mayoral salary. For things to be maintained, Martha must get a job and stop spending money they don't have. She is horrified at the idea but doesn't argue.

She visits the local bakery to see Betty, quickly assuring the woman that she's isn't there about the sign. She's had a change of heart and she doesn't need to worry about repainting it at all. The reason Martha is there is too ask for a job as a hostess. She covers her need for the job by saying she wants to get to know the everyday business owners lives. Betty promises to think about it but takes a call. Marta sees Leon Deeks, a recently released bank robber, eying the open cash register while eating a slice of pie. Martha tries to disguise her rush to the register and hip bump to close it, but Leon sees so he throws money on the table and leaves. She reports him for being suspicious, though police chief Jake Russell and his deputy Derek Sanders can't do anything with the lead since Leon didn't do anything wrong. Tom finds this outrageous as his wife stopped a potential robbery with her hip. Not wanting to argue with the busybodies, Jake agrees to keep and eye on Leon.

Martha flurries into Bell, Book & Candle as she's looking to help out the local shops. She's tried everywhere else so this is her last resort - and choice. Cassie remarks that she's been busy with her wedding, and comments on Martha's ability to throw lovely parties. Martha agrees that she is great at it and flits out for a moment. She returns with a grand idea to become a wedding planner with Cassie as her first ever client. Though overwhelmed by the idea, Cassie doesn't argue with Martha's passionate idea. She has to leave to get her dress and Martha follows as the dress can't clash with the ice sculptures. Cassie tries to tell Martha that she wants something small and simple, but Martha won't hear of it.

Betty throws Cassie a small wedding shower which Martha promptly invites herself too. She has extravagant and lavish ideas for the wedding, though Cassie wants something simple and small. She's thinking comfort food with Betty catering a sheet cake, while Martha envisions a five-tier cake. Finally fed up with everything, Martha quits her job as a wedding planner. She proclaims that she had other plans for Christmas Eve anyway and won't be making it. In the few passing's she has with Cassie after her triumphant quit, Martha reiterates that she and Tom won't be attending, nor will they be engaging with her anymore.

She visits Martha and finds the ring in her purse. Martha is flabbergasted as she realizes that she dumped the contents of her purse on the counter that day in Bell Book, and she must have scooped up the ring in the mess. She apologizes profusely but Cassie is just happy to have her ring back. She also hopes that, despite Martha's claims to have previous engagements on Christmas Eve, she and Tom can make it to the wedding. Martha realizes Cassie is a good spirited woman, and is touched that Cassie still wants her there.

On the day of the wedding, things go awry and all seems lost until Martha and Tom arrive. Tom has the real marriage certificate, as his friend at the county office mixed up the papers, so Tom swung by to pick them up on the way. Jake admits they lack a minister, and Martha offers Tom's services as he's officiated as the Mayor. Martha attends Cassie's wedding and reception. She watches in awe as Cassie rides away in a horse drawn carriage with her new husband, leaving behind one last gift for her guests - snow.

Good Witch's Family

Good Witch's Charm

Martha Tinsdale is the town of Middleton's resident busybody, serving as the heart and soul of Middleton. She is assisting her friend, and newly elected mayor, Cassie Nightingale during her term. Cassie is a new mother and is struggling to balance her life. Martha, however, is adamant on making Middleton the destination place for a travel blogger. She interrupts the Russell family's morning to pick Cassie up for a pre-scheduled interview. She is horrified that Cassie has forgotten the interview, and rushes the woman along. The interview takes place downtown outside of Cassie's shop, Bell, Book & Candle - which is also parallel to Martha's upcoming store Martha's New Beginnings. Cassie does an interview with Henry Kael, a grumpy reporter who sees the worst in everyone, and asks Cassie about her time in foster care and love for Middleton. When Cassie leaves, Martha ensures that she gets her time with Henry so her store and town is highlighted.

The interview backfires as Cassie seemingly vanishes in the video in a bright light. Martha is horrified by the footage and the comments under it, which label Middleton as a bizarre town and Cassie as a freak or a witch. Cassie isn't too concerned as she knows people will see what they want in the video. But Martha demands Cassie do damage control with the locals.

Meanwhile, the tourism in Middleton is booming, with people coming from all over to see the "good witch" herself. Cassie even has a line of customers waiting for her shop to open. Envious, Martha watches Cassie while her own bridal shop remains empty. Henry visits her bridal shop to request an exclusive interview from Martha about the mysterious Cassie. Upset, Martha willingly reveals everything she knows to Henry.

Despite the booming tourism, a string of burglaries begins to upset the town as shop owners become fearful they may be targeted next. Martha's shop is robbed and candlesticks are stolen. She takes it upon herself to rally the citizens of Middleton and its shop owners to stand up to crime. She dons a whistle that Cassie previously gave her, and stands on the sidewalk proudly watching over her little strip of road. She butts heads with Derek Sanders, who is annoyed by Martha's calls regarding jaywalking and other minor infractions that elderly citizens have committed. She questions Cassie's ability to be a mayor and Jake's position as chief of police, but is disturbed when Henry prints a bad photograph of her in the magazine. She decides that something must be done to save the town from his slander. She also briefly loses faith in Lori Russell when she is framed for the robberies.

Her uneasiness is put to rest when the real burglars are caught, the piece of Cassie is canceled after Henry has a change of heart thanks to Cassie, and Martha's store begins to pick up traction. She apologizes to Cassie for her actions and supports her as mayor. Cassie decides not to step down from her position as mayor and instead, asks Martha to be the head of their new Chamber of Commerce. Elated, Martha agrees to the new position.

Good Witch's Destiny

Martha Tinsdale is the town of Middleton's resident busybody and nosy neighbor, but she's expanded her reach to the Middleton Business Society. Her new bakery, Martha's Sweet Beginnings, is branching into the wedding planning business. Her shop is parallel to Mayor Cassie Nightingale's store, Bell, Book & Candle. Martha is hosting her first wedding clients, out of towners Drew and Helen. While Helen and Martha are brimming with ideas for the wedding, Drew doesn't care much about the details so long as Helen is happy and can have her dream wedding. All of which, he plans to pay for next week, an offer Martha happily accepts.

The only thing ruining her sweet shop is the foul stench coming from the neighboring stores. The squelching heat also melts her truffles despite it being October. She complains to Cassie about the odors, so Cassie suggests an incense burner. She gives Martha clear instructions to only use one incense cone and direct the smoke towards the smell she wants to eliminate.

Martha joyously returns to her shop to give the new device a try. She is hit with a wave of stench and decides to put three cones into the burner instead of one. The device malfunctions and smoke spews out of the burner and fills the shop. Martha is forced to open all of her doors and windows to let it out. Drew arrives and tells Martha the wedding is canceled. He borrowed a satchel from Cassie's store and inadvertently signed the rights to his app away when a page of the contract went missing in the borrowed satchel's secret compartment. Martha realizes that Cassie also gave her the incense burner that made the smell in her shop worse. Drew blames everything on Cassie and believes she sabotaged both of them.

Martha is angry at Cassie and refuses her offer to make things better. She tells Cassie to stop trying to help as she only makes things worse. Simultaneously, Martha attempts to woo a popular magazine author into hosting her wedding in Middleton and featuring both the town and Martha's shop in the spread. As she attempts to woo, Drew storms out of Cassie's shop yelling about how he'll ruin her life. He storms over to Martha and angrily reveals that he wishes he never wanted his wedding in Middleton. The magazine editor than pulls her offer to host in Middleton. She also calls Martha's shop cluttered and over-the-top.

Now hurt by recent events, Martha tears her shop apart and simplifies it. She also reports Cassie's shop to the Middleton Business Society after a fire "endangers the lives" of everyone. When Cassie confronts her over the report, Martha reveals it was her who reported it as if there is anything dangerous in the shop it's well within the societies rights to shut it down. She raises a similar concern at the city hall meeting, blaming Cassie for bringing "black magic" into town, even admitting that it might be time for Cassie to stop practicing such things.

Cassie's birthday approaches and she holds a birthday celebration at Grey House, inviting everyone from her friends to her family. Martha is in attendance and apologizes to Cassie for the things she said. She admits that a painter from another store left a rag of chemicals in a cardboard box that was sitting direct sunlight, which caused fire at Bell Book. She apologizes as she didn't mean the things she said. Cassie accepts her apology and they toast.

Good Witch's Wonder

A few years have passed since her time in the wedding planning business, and Martha has closed her shop. She is now the Mayoral-elect for Middleton. She practices her inauguration speech to her new assistant Jared and a young PA. She also tapes Cassie's photograph to a chair for the sake of her performance. As she delivers her moving speech, she mentions Cassie and looks over, only to scream in fright as Cassie has magically appeared in the chair. Martha scolds Cassie for scaring her and dismisses her assistants. Cassie knows Martha she will be an excellent mayor and vows to help her any way she can. Martha is pleased with the offer but plans to do things her way - moving forward, looking back is her slogan, after all. Madame Mayor is soon faced with her first problem – her pet-project, the Middleton Botanical Gardens she designed, is grossly over-budget. Cassie helps her come to the idea of scaling back “a tad” but Martha is determined to raise the rest of the funds, over $100,000, at next week’s fundraiser. Cassie presents her friend with a Kachina doll to inspire her to achieve great leadership, but the gift leaves Martha feeling underwhelmed.

Throughout Good Witch Series

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

In "Tossing the Bouquet", Martha discovered a Blairsville bench in a residential area of Middleton and instructed Jared to figure out why the bench was on Middleton property. Martha's Jared revealed starting information to Martha - that due to the way the border of Middleton and Blairsville runs, Martha is technically a resident of Blairsville, not Middleton. Due to this, Jared was forced to strip Martha's title as Mayor and the duty was passed onto the President of the City Council, Abigail Pershing. Martha moved out of the Mayoral office later that day.

Season 5

Season 6

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With her place as Mayor restored, Martha throws herself into making herself the best Mayor she can possibly be. She starts by securing a mayoral mansion, which she is certain will be hers. She collides with her high school nemesis Dotty Davenport who vies for the same house as Martha, as it was once a Davenport home. Martha's love for the home is what ultimately convinces the seller to sell to her instead of Dotty. She hires Middleton newcomer Joy Harper to help renovate the home and turn it into a beautiful house once more. She also hires Carter as her carpenter, and ignores Joy's insistence that Carter isn't a good fit, mainly due to knowing Joy has other feelings about Carter.

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As her house is being restored, Martha occupies more of her time by helping Abigail solve the 200-year-old curse placed on her and Donovan Davenport. Martha's encouraging words keep Abigail inspired to fight for her relationship, and her witty banter often provides relief for the stressed couple. She is also able to help them piece together some clues and monitors the crack in the Heart of Middleton while maintaining the Middleton treasure box. Martha also attempts to form a couple bond between herself, Tom, and newlyweds Cassie and Sam.

Martha's oldest son Dylan returns to Middleton for a visit with her wife Claire. Martha admits to Cassie that she doesn't know much about her daughter-in-law, and they don't exactly get along. This is due to their equally high-strung personalities and busybody natures. Martha is flooded with good news when Dylan announces that he and Claire are expecting a baby. However, the women continuously butt heads, with Martha being a little overbearing with Clair, how is in turn, snide and rude about Martha's attempts. Martha later figures out she’s behaving in the same manner her own mother-in-law was with her. The women reconcile and Martha looks forward to her future as a Grandmama.

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With good news all around her, she launches her open house for her completely renovated mansion, which she calls Tinsdale Manor. It is there that Sam discovers a final clue in the curse, and the dove Joy's mother left her is connected to the curse. When Joy opens the dove the Middleton Diamond is inside leading Martha to bring the Middleton Treasure box to the anxious couple. They place the diamond inside and the box closes itself, however, Abigail still can't say I Love You. They are about to give up when then the box starts playing, and another drawer opens, containing an engagement ring. It’s the ring Roderick used to propose to Patience. Martha watches in a mixture of awe and love as Donovan and Abigail become engaged.

Personality

Martha has a larger than life personality and a passionate heart that is sometimes riddled with overdramatic worries. She has a wildly animated and enthusiastic personality, with a vivid imagination. At first, she was paranoid and overprotective of her town, to the point where she wanted to control everything that was going on in it. This caused her to go after Cassie Nightingale, who wouldn't conform to Martha's idea of what Middleton should be.

However, as she let her guard down and allowed Cassie to see her heart, she was shown to be a sweet woman with the best of intentions for her town. Her love and passion for the town she chose as her home is fierce. She is also investigative, inquisitive, outgoing, and self-absorbed when it comes to the press. Martha is also impulsive, childish, petty, and has a little-to-no filter. She can be selfish and impatient, but normally recognizes her mistakes in the end and tries to evolve from them.

Physical Appearance

Martha is a boisterous woman who's larger then life personality is reflected in her attire and stance. Just by looking at Martha, one can tell that she is of importance and wealth. She always dresses fashionably yet conservative, favoring bright colors and pearls. She enjoys the perks of her wealthy lifestyle and isn't afraid to show it off. She has blonde hair that is cut into a perky bob with thin bangs over her forehead. She has blue eyes and is rarely seen without her stud earrings.

Appearances

Notes and Trivia

  • Martha (Catherine Disher) has appeared in every television installment of The Good Witch franchise, as she stars in all seven films and guest stars in every episode of the television series, a feat she shares only with Cassie Nightingale (Catherine Bell).
  • Martha is the head of the citizens' league.
  • She loves to shop and organize grand events, but often goes overboard without considering a budget first. This got her into trouble during her days as a party planner.
  • She used to be superstitious before she befriended Cassie Nightingale. She still believes in ghosts and curses, but is no longer afraid of Cassie's gifts. She used to refer to Cassie's practices as the "dark arts" or "black magic".
  • When Martha and Tom were having financial problems, Martha was forced to take up several jobs around the town. This included a brief job in the kitchen of Betty's bakery and a wedding planner for Cassie.
  • Martha was elected mayor after Cassie resigned.
  • She is a fan of Jessica Carrington's novels.
  • After being elected Mayor, she bought a new gavel which is one of her favorite things she's bought so far.
  • She officiated her son Michael's wedding to Vanessa.

Gallery

References

  1. "We've been married for twenty-six years" - Tom to Martha in 2010. The Good Witch's Family
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