In the aftermath of the 1839 Newport Rising, Brough's father, who was briefly detained by the rioters, testified in the treason trial against John Frost, a leader of the Welsh Chartist movement.
After the death of his father in 1854, Brough began to contribute to the care of his younger brother Lionel and sisters, Louisa and Frances.
[6] Brough left his position with the railroad company in 1857 to write articles for literary and scientific publications, and in 1859 he published Fairy Tales of Science for young readers.
[8] In 1864, Brough became editor of an edition of Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts, and around that time the self-trained chemist was elected a Fellow of the Chemical Society.
Brough suffered from heart disease, most likely the result of a childhood attack of rheumatic fever, that forced him to curtail his workload as he entered his mid-thirties.