Welcome to CGN. You've come to the right place for information, despite your not being a 'gun guy'. That can change, and once hooked, it can be a passion of a lifetime. On the matter of posting photos, you can purchase a CGN membership to facilitate posting pictures. It is money well spent. The other option is to use a 3rd party image host. I use Imgur, which is very easy to use for posting pictures on this site. If you go this route, PM me for directions on how to do it.
As to the markings on the gun, the first to look at is the rib inscription on the barrels, usually with a name and address. Gunmakers often had family members join the business, or they moved about or established new shops, so the name and address can offer clues as to the date of manufacture. Then there are the proof marks, usually under the barrel flats. These were added when the gun underwent pressure testing, and as these marks changed over time, the combination on your gun can help narrow down the year range.
Here is a chart that includes the Birmingham proof marks, presumably the ones on your gun:
Ideal is when the records and ledger books of the company still exist, providing more exact data, but this is rarely the case with British guns (
often thanks to the Luftwaffe). W. H. Tisdall records did not survive. Trying to find information on W. H. Tisdall online can be confusing, as there was more than one W. H. Tisdall. Here is some information on the family line.
William Hodgetts Tisdall, born 1841, was the son of George Tisdall, a gun barrel forger in Wood Green, Wednesbury, Staffordshire. In 1848, the family moved to live and work in Chesshire Street, Aston Manor, Birmingham. In the 1851 census, George was listed with four more sons: Joseph , James, Thomas, and Henry. In 1863, a firm named Tisdall & Co was recorded as gun and rifle makers at 16 St Mary's Row, Birmingham, and from 1864 to 1867 the firm was recorded as Tisdall & Earp. This was almost certainly George Tisdall, and not his sons.
In 1863, William Hodgetts Tisdall was in business as a gun barrel and rifle maker at Court, 5 Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham. He was a maker to the trade, and did not have a retail business. In 1868, he moved the business to 40 Digby Street. In 1874, William moved the business to 47 Whittall Street. In the 1881 census, William described himself as a master gun maker employing 35 men, a huge business for someone who was not recorded in the directories.. William Hodgetts's son, William Henry, was described as a gun maker aged 16 years.
On 31 May 1879 W H Tisdall registered patent No. 2177 for a bolting mechanism and a safety mechanism, so he was also an inventor.
In the 1891 census, William (then aged 53) described himself as a gun manufacturer. In 1893, the business moved to 18 Sand Street, but William Hodgetts Tisdall died in September of that year. The business continued until 1900, possibly under the management of his son, William Henry Tisdall, but it was not recorded after that year.
As he supplied guns to the trade, I'm not surprised that he would have dealt with importers in Canada, though I can't find information on these. Sometimes the importer/retailer is added to the barrel rib inscription.
I hope this adds to your ongoing search for information on your father's gun. For information on 19th century British gunmaking, I can point you to another thread on CGN, which, though a long read, might help you appreciate your gun, and maybe convince you to delve more deeply into this pastime:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/threads/the-allure-of-the-british-gun.2492672/
