Many tunes composed by him are still played, notably the Remember Me hornpipe, Whinham's Reel, and The Cambo March.
There are few facts known about his life, though his obituary recorded that he had started learning the violin at the age of eight, at first from one William Banks, later from 'a German music master in Newcastle'.
In 1856 and 1857, he led the musicians playing at the Alnwick Sessions Ball, an "annual gathering of the aristocracy of the county of Northumberland".
His obituary, in 1893, stated that "about a dozen years ago he returned to his native town, a somewhat shattered old man, very much broken down in health".
[8] In about 1881, the Morpeth Amateur Orchestral Society was founded, and initially it was "moulded from raw material" by Whinham who taught them "the rudiments of the art".
[10] At the end of 1883, Whinham placed an advertisement in the Morpeth Herald, stating that "The original R. Whinham is now in Morpeth after an absence of Twenty-four years", and "continues teaching the violin and string bands", and "will supply music for Balls, Parties and Entertainments with his Efficient String Band".
Many of his tunes are found in manuscripts belonging to different musicians in Northumberland, notably John Armstrong of Carrick and his sister Annie Snaith.