Importance of this part of Scotland
The importance Dunblane had in medieval times is marked by two buildings. One is the bishop's seat in the cathedral and the other judicial court, the sheriff's court. These indicate that the village was self-sufficient in every way.
You have to remember that the position of the sheriff in Scotland had other functions that he didn't have in other countries. In Scotland the sheriff was the supreme judge and his presence in the town was at the same level. In this case, the building was built in the nineteenth century and replaced the one that previously existed. Interestingly, it was included a small prison which operated until 1975. Right now it doesn't serve any purpose since Dunblane went from being in Perthshire to being in Stirlingshire, which had/has it's own sheriff's court.
