Kirkcolm village was established in the early 17th century and remodelled as a planned village in the 1780s, taking its name from a local church dedicated to St Columba. The village and parish were once thriving centres of home-produced muslin embroidery but today the area is largely argicultural.

In the grounds of the Ervie and Kirkcolm Parish Church, there is an intricately carved stone cross dating from the 9th or 10th centuries.